Grown Up Christmas Wish

Seriously beggars can't be choosers, right?

But I thought I would let you in on a little 

conversation that Kyle and I had the other day.

It's about choosing.

and I'm begging you to listen closely.

Shhhh....listen.  Really listen.

We were talking about Christmas, and once again

for us it's going to be a tight year.

Cancer, being off of work, waiting for disability

to kick in and all that jazz is making us

tighten the already tightened purse straps.

Which is okay.  We have lots of practice

with tightening.  We did one Christmas

when Kyle was unemployed a few years back

and as I recall it was one of our most

wonderful Christmases ever.

Christmas is not JUST about gifts and getting.

It's about a whole lot more than that.

Things that are more important.

Things like time and experiences.

Which leads me to this post...

Since you are all probably scratching your

heads wondering what Christmas Wishes and 

cancer have to do with one another.

Before we've even made it to Thanksgiving...

Sheesh!

And even if you're NOT wondering, I'm 

going to tell you.

I asked Kyle what he wanted this year for 

Christmas.

To which he replied, "Nothing!"

"What do I need?" he asked. 

Nothing.

I wasn't sure how to respond.

How do I prepare for and buy "nothing".

He looked at me, in all seriousness, and 

said that we never know how many Christmases

are left.  All of us together, making memories,

spending time, having experiences.

We hope a lot of them are left.

But, we just never know.

Heck, I could get hit by a bus tomorrow.

(Please don't let me be hit by a bus tomorrow!)

So he looked at me again and said,

"This is what I want Dor.  I want time

and memories and experiences."

But not just from me.

And not just from the kids.

This is what he wants from family and

friends and anyone that would want to 

"give him a gift" for the holidays.

So since we are heading rapidly into 

the season of gifts and giving.

And we are also heading rapidly into

the seaon of radioembolization, and who knows 

exactly how he will respond to this...  

(Good we hope, always good we hope!) 

...I am sharing with you Kyle's "Grown up I

Have Cancer Christmas Wish List."

This is what he wants:

*Time

*Memories

*Experiences

If you love him, if you want to give him

something?

Make the time to DO SOMETHING WITH HIM.

Or for him. OR WITH HIM.

Take him to lunch.  (Remember he's not 

working and has lots of free time now.)

Take him out for a Diet Coke. (He's drinking

it again, always a good reminder he feels well.)

Spend some time with him.

Make a memory with him.

Go and experience life with him.

Put it on your already busy holiday

schedule now and make it happen.

Take a picture of two to remember the day,

or moment, or memory.

Go to a movie.

Sit in the park at talk.

Laugh with him.

Cry with him.  (He won't care)

TALK TO HIM.

Be with him.

Love him.

Give him the thing he desires the very

most from the people he loves the very most.

Time.

Memories.

Experiences.

You won't be sorry, he will be thrilled 

and it will be time and energy well spent.

On both sides.

And you will have something to look back

on, when that other awful time comes, and 

smile about and remember and be glad

you MADE THE TIME TO MAKE A MEMORY with

your brother, your friend, your dad, your

son, your cousin, your spouse (and hopefully

I am the only one that fills the "spouse"

category!) or your whoever he is to you.

He's usually a Grinch and a Scrooge about 

Christmas...I take this as a good sign that

cancer, and perhaps middle age, is softening

him a bit.

This is Kyle's Grown Up Christmas Wish.

You know how to make it happen.

As Nike would say  "Just DO it!"

And that's what I've got for today!

Ho Ho Ho