A life lived
Complimented with wonderful friends
Completes a happy life
I've had the great opportunity to spend the last week with wonderful friends of mine. Friends I met through the bed and breakfast and a friend from my work back in Detroit. Their visits made me happy. We spoke of memories with Ray but that didn't sadden me - for a change. These friends came at separate times and treated Drew and me to dinner and I made dinner a couple of nights.
Their visits were great for my soul. I don't really get out much socially as money can be an issue and I kind of like the solitude of being home alone - with Drew and my "babies." This last week's socialization was much needed for me. It was also needed for Drew. As his disability has made it pretty much difficult to have a job, he stays home all day (and night) without much socialization. We had a talk about that recently. I think it would be great for him to get out and volunteer somewhere. He stated that he would like to start going to church. I told him that I think that would be awesome. It would give him a chance to get out and socialize - not to mention it would be good food for his soul. There is a great church in Douglas that our friend Mary goes to. I work on Sundays so I am not able to attend. (Also, having a very bad taste of the "church" experience as a kid - a Pastor's Kid - I have a difficult time with "church" which I need to eventually deal with.)
In addition to the friends I spent time with last week I am happy to say that Susie (Ray's sister from Colorado) came to town and I will be spending time with her and Marguerite (one of Ray's other sisters) tomorrow night. She is always so fun to be with. I love to tease her because she falls for it every time and then we laugh about it.
It's a lovely autumn day here in Saugatuck. The sun is out and the air is cool. This type of day reminds me of being on Mackinac Island with Ray during our annual "post Labor Day" trip. We always cherished those trips as it was our turn to relax and let others "wait" on us. One time we were in our room at the Hotel Iroquois and I said to Ray "I love the sound of that." He asked what I was referring to and I told him it was the sound of a vacuum in the hallway. I said, "it's nice to hear someone else vacuuming." It was always so nice to chill out on the Island. We didn't have to worry about driving anywhere - as there are no cars on the island (except for emergency vehicles). We always felt refreshed and renewed when we got back home. It gave us the energy to get back to our hospitality work at the bed and breakfast and start planning our "off season" event packages.
On our last trip in 2009 we made it to the Bavarian restaurant owned by the Grand Hotel called "Woods." It was in the center of the Island on a hill. A horse drawn carriage from the Grand Hotel picked us up and took us (and other diners) up past the Grand and to the restaurant. It was a great experience and beautiful restaurant.
We continue to get treatment for Drew's Huntington's Disease. Tomorrow I take him to Blodgett Hospital in Grand Rapids. He is having a "swallow test" done. They will do a CT scan and capture images of him swallowing things. One of the functions that degenerates over time in patients with Huntington's Disease is swallowing. So this will be the first test to gauge where he is at right now. I don't think he has any problems at this point, but I guess this will allow doctors to follow his progression for the future. He's being taken care of by many great specialists. I'm hoping that by being pro-active we can keep on top of things and the latest breakthroughs. While a cure is far from becoming a reality, I've heard from our small town pharmacist that major advancements to treating the effects of the disease are close. He's been losing major weight (another issue in many patients) and I am concerned about that. We spoke to his neurologist about this last month and we are working on increasing his caloric intake.
After Drew's hospital visit (weather permitting) we plan to take in some sights at this year's "Art Prize." Some customers told me that there is a display in front of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum made from all kitchen gadgets. It is called "Black Market" by Justin La Doux. I think that would be pretty cool to see. This event has become quite internationally known.
This is my life, these are my thoughts. Keeping this blog over the last six years has helped me to look back at my life after Ray died and see how I've been progressing. It's therapeutic for me, interesting for some and boring for others. But this has been for me more than anything else. - Jimmy
