09 September 2007

 

My wife's birthday

Today was my wife's birthday. Unlike her, who put together a huge blowout party for me a couple of months ago, all I managed to scrape up was some presents, some coffee in the morning, and a dinner out with the family at our favourite Chinese restaurant. We were all going to see a movie, but I ran out of energy and had to come home first while the three of them went to see Mr. Bean's Holiday.

That's another example of the tough time we've had all had this year. I'm hoping it will improve. There are a lot of marriages that don't work very well out there in the world. Ours is not one of them: since my wife and I got married in 1995, I've always thought it was the best thing I ever did, and she has always been the one for me. It would be a shame if something that works as well as our marriage gets cut short by this stupid disease of mine.

I think back to my father's mom, my Oma, who lost her first husband in a Berlin hospital in 1947, later remarried, and moved to Canada. She and her kids didn't end up having known him very well—as a soldier in the German army, he was gone for much of their marriage. Fortunately that is not true here. But if I fail in my fight with cancer and die, my wife and my children will be in the same position: they'll have their whole lives, maybe another 40 years or more at least (more years than I've been alive), to live without me.

The idea of that sucks, and makes me sad. Certainly I hope it doesn't happen. If it does, I want to leave some happy memories. I hope that today, while low key, will include some of them. The big mylar dragonfly balloon my daughters chose, perhaps.

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# 9:50 PM

Comments:

Hi there
Came accross your blog through Imedia podcast I was downloading about mobile market.
I just had to make a comment about what you've been going through healthwise lately. I can identify abit since I have crohn's disease (inflammation of intestines) and have had similar experiences with surgery, morphine and alot of side effects that you were talking about. It's a cronic disease & some days i really struggle to work. Im still able to, but sometimes it gets to me since it's easy to forget where one has been. I've become much stronger and have learnt to deal with stress and life. I recently started to blog but am still struggling to open up and share, nevermind to regularly write when not feeling well.
You're an inspiration. Stay focused and positive! :)
https://crohnsandlife.blogspot.com/
if you have any suggestions ;)
as to how to blog and also how to manage a work while sick
# posted by Blogger Belinda : 10 September, 2007 06:55
 
I've been following your blog posts without much comment but this one hit home. You see i lost my father suddenly when I was four due to a boating accident. I have a few memory glimses of a father in my life but really nothing more than the few pictures that remain in a family album. I do miss my father, i do miss what he could have been in my life.

However, as i read this post it struck me that the world has really changed. I would so love to be able to go to a place where i could see and read about the man my father was. I would do it too, from time to time if i could.

Derek, we expect you are returning to Navarik so all this really won't be an issue. However, keep blogging, keep taking pictures. It all has the essence of you and who you are. With the wonder of technology it could be there forever....
# posted by Anonymous Dan : 13 September, 2007 13:35