From the time Jack was a baby, one of his favorite foods was spaghetti. I've forgotten now how he called it, but it was something he enjoyed, and his passion for it is something he shared--on his face, in his hair, upon the floor.
That's the thing about being a grandparent. You really don't care about that. It's that sparkle in their eye, the passion they have for something they truly enjoy, and it's not because you didn't experience it, but it's because you forgotten how to enjoy something like that.
During one visit to Chapel Hill, North Carolina to visit Cles and Leslie, they laughed at Jack and the whole notion of his eating with his hands, but they also noticed how much he enjoyed the Italian dish.
Leslie's mom and dad arrived, and we all went to a restaurant. Jack ordered spaghetti.
At first, I think her parents were horrified at the scene, but they noticed what everyone else did: a little boy so involved in something, so passionate about something, that it was truly magical.
Finding these pictures made it even more fun, because I relived the joy that we felt at that moment, and more importantly, we thought about other things we did during that trip to North Carolina.
Looking at pictures like this make you realize, that you often relive everything vicariously, and it's a good thing too, because old people with spaghetti on their face and in their hair is a sordid thing--not as weird as some things you see old people do, but it would make the top ten list on the Letterman show.
The pictures remind me of Leslie catching fireflies in her cupped hands for Jack in the evening. After shaking them, she would release them. The small light flew upward. "Tink!" Jack thought immediately of Peter Pan, one of his favorite Disney moments, because Disney moments are what we did during those early years, just as often as possible.
Although we took Jack and Tommy to Disneyland, when they were one, this trip is where Jack seemed to notice things, and in a strange way, I think he remembered the earlier trip.
This picture is a valuable one. While fighting my leukemia, Ann was concerned. My oncologist and friend told me that I had two weeks to two months, slowly I began making improvements, but he was still worried.
One day Ann told me that we needed to get away and go somewhere. Sun Valley came to mind, but when she asked me, I asked to for a trip to Disneyland. Jack and Kristin came along. It was a magical trip, maybe because you see the magic, when life is so fragile.
My doctor laughed when I told him initially about my desire to visit Disneyland. After our return home, he asked me what we did there. I think he expected me to say I sat in a wheel chair and listened to music and enjoyed the weather. His face completely changed when I mentioned Tower of Terror and the Indian Jones ride and Matterhorn. He laughed.
I miss hearing my old friend's laugh. He called me an eternal child. It's not such a bad thing, as long as I keep the spaghetti off my face in restaurants.
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