California Fall

Dave and Craig

While Dave and I played Frisbee yesterday with our friend Craig and his son Dylan, I was struck by the fact that three months ago I was days away from surgery for a brain tumor.

During that time and after the surgery, Dave and I had visualized me as healthy, doing things I love--yoga, swimming, dancing, writing. We meditated on the fact that the body is a healing machine. Whenever worry crept in, I'd focus on these things.

And a couple of short months later, there I was on a sun-splashed field tossing a Frisbee. I had written for hours that morning. And that afternoon we were headed to the second day of a three-day music festival.

Festival ready!

This has been the hallmark of the last few months: continued healing in the loving company of family and friends throughout California. It's such a pleasure and a privilege to be part of people's lives in this way.

We spent a month in Southern California, and it began to feel like home. Before we left, we went to Tony and Shannon's house for a birthday celebration. We were lucky to be able to meet the newest member of the clan, three-week-old Jordan.

Jordan with happy new parents Chris and Robin.

Two days before our departure, our friends up the street celebrated Canadian Thanksgiving. What a beautiful sight, a dinner table for twelve, candle-lit, out in the lavender field.

Everyone brought something delicious. Talk about giving thanks.

We were able to catch a last sunset over the ocean.

On our drive north, we stopped in Newbury Park for a weekend of family fun with Paul and Christi and their three boys. A highlight was a night around the fire pit, playing and singing.

Dad on the mandolin and Frankie on the recorder.

When we landed back in San Jose to spend a few days with our pal Mark, he surprised us: He'd installed a hot tub in his newly tricked-out backyard! It was a special treat after I completed my head-in-a-cage-body-injected-with-dye MRI at Stanford.

Tah dah!

A couple of days later, we drove further north, stopping in Elk Grove to visit my cousins John and Carolyn, and my aunt Ruby. Twice a week, John and Carolyn watch their granddaughter Madison. Ruby, who is 90, has never taken a music lesson in her life, but she can coax the honky tonk out of the piano like you wouldn't believe. It was the sweetest thing to watch Madison boogie to her great-grandmother's music.

90, 50 and 1.

We have about a week and a half left in California to take care of some medical things and travel prep details. Then on November 5, we fly to Hong Kong, then India, then Sri Lanka.

Because we haven't been to these places before, I was about to say it'll be a new adventure. But with my new lease on life, I feel like each and every day is a new adventure.