A Special Visit

Tonight, Scott, Kate, my mom and I visited with my cousin who has terminal cancer. We went up to his house not knowing if we would even be able to see him. My mom told me that he is in so much pain that he is just staying in bed and not seeing anyone. We decided to visit anyway knowing if nothing else, we would at least be able to visit with my uncle and aunt and see how they are holding up.

I can't tell you what a treat it was that he was having a good enough day that he could come out of his room and visit with us. As he began to struggle towards the end of the visit and his lips started to turn blue from being off his oxygen for that short while, I felt honored that he would suffer himself to be so uncomfortable, long enough for us to enjoy his company. He was so pleasant. So meek. He carried on with us in happy talk until it was time for him to go back to his room and rest.

But before he descended down the stairs to his room, he snatched up one of the big, soft, snickerdoodle cookies I brought to share and savored a piece of it in front of me and my joy was full. I wasn't sure what my cousin could eat because I had heard that the nausea associated with his illness comes and goes and I just don't know enough to know what he eats these days. Seeing him enjoy that cookie just pleased me. It's a small thing. But since I can't take away all the pain and hard that he and his family are going through, just knowing that for that one moment he enjoyed that cookie I made gave me to feel that I had helped in some way.