Since our last letter
didn’t actually go out until April, it seemed like a good idea to write now and
actually come close to sending an “end of year” summary to you all.
I spent the summer getting more accustomed
to my new physique. In September I saw
the surgeon and he and I agreed that we were not “finished,” and so on November
8 there was one more surgery, hopefully the final stage of my reconstruction. I have 6 months from then to fully heal, and
I’ll go back again in May to see if I truly am no longer “under construction!” I continue with my Tamoxifen regimen and a wonderful
oncologist looks after me while I wait out the 5-year time period that, if I
get through it without a recurrence, will officially make me cancer-free. All
the other things I do (work, volunteer, organizing family, studying, etc.) help
me keep some prospective in the meantime.
On Labor Day weekend Andrew proposed to
Jackie on the steps of the Jefferson Memorial in Washington. Thanks to her friends who were there, we even
have photos of him on one knee, ring box in hand. They will be married sometime in 2013, at
which time they will have been dating for over 10 years! Andrew was promoted a couple of months ago at
the Lowes where he works, and still shares a house with friends in nearby
Fairlawn, which is handy to the train line that gets him into Manhattan to
visit Jackie at her apartment. (She
graduates from Cardozo Law School this June.)
Alex is maintaining a nice healthy GPA at
Montclair State, where he is on track to graduate with a BS degree and a
paralegal certificate in about a year.
He continues as president of the Montclair University Gamers, and hopes
to help his club move up into “Class 1” status, which gives them more funding
throughout the year. When he’s home, he’s very definitely a college student, as
he sometimes goes to bed just before we’re getting up, and sometimes gets up as
Ari gets home from school. Once he goes
back for spring semester, I’m sure he’ll be on a schedule that’s closer to
human than vampire…
Ari has distinguished
himself with honor roll status for two semesters in a row now, which is a
pretty good thing considering we’re going to have to start looking at colleges
soon – too soon. He has been more
involved in youth group this year and continues singing with the synagogue’s
adult choir (now as a bass) as well as his chamber choir at school. This year they once again sang on the great
stage of Radio City Music Hall before a Christmas Spectacular show, and
although this is the third year they’ve been invited to sing, it remains a
thrill to see them perform there.
Rod did not have to spend quite as much
time ferrying me to and from doctor appointments this past year, but he is
still far more familiar than he ought to be with helping me out of a car while
I shake off anesthesia. He has been
there with me through everything while still managing to
fit in his job as HR Director at Konica Minolta as well as his volunteer work
on the boards of Bergen Community College, Project Literacy and the synagogue’s
brotherhood. He’s looking forward to celebrating the Year of the Dragon since
it’s his year!
All five of us, plus Joe Campos, one of
Alex’s college friends, enjoyed a week on Cape Cod in late July. We had great weather, played lots of
miniature golf, and did more reading than we get done during the whole rest of
the year. Noteworthy fall events
included Hurricane Irene and the “Halloween blizzard” which cost Ari 4 snow
days and took many branches off our trees, but both times we did not lose power
and thus were a haven for power-less Andrew and Alex (and friends.) We celebrated Thanksgiving with Jackie and
with Rod’s parents Maggie and Tom, who are still enjoying their new digs just a
half hour away in Teaneck.
For Christmas Eve the senior McVeighs once
again treated us to a delicious sushi supper at our favorite Japanese
restaurant, and we shared a lovely dinner the next day in the private dining
room at their place. Earlier in
December, Rod, Ari, and I helped to represent our congregation at the URJ
(Union for Reform Judaism) national biennial convention outside of Washington
DC at the beautiful Gaylord Convention Center.
There were between 4,000 and 6,000 people in attendance at various
workshops, services, song sessions, and plenary sessions for all five days; it
was exhausting but an amazing experience.
Ari participated in the NFTY (North American Federation of Temple Youth)
leadership track, so he stayed in a different part of the hotel, but he was
certainly among those cheering from the teen contingent when President Obama
spoke at one of our sessions and said “I hear NFTY’s in the house!
We spent New Year’s Eve with a small group
and lots of the night’s theme ingredient – soup! The next morning we reconvened with the
larger daytime contingent of our 20+ year regulars and enjoyed wonderful
conversation, food, and drink, in unseasonable 50 degree weather. That day we were lucky enough to spend some
time on Skype with our longtime friends Garry and Lois Karner; less than 3
weeks later Lois passed away suddenly in her sleep, and the shock and sadness
of her untimely loss is still with us.
Although adversity nudged us a bit in the
health (and weather) department, we navigated through the year on the “hope for
the best and prepare for the worst” plan and that has kept us moving ahead. As we arrange and then rearrange our
schedules to get everything done, there seem to be fewer opportunities to sit
back and appreciate all we have, with all the ones we love. So, our aim for this year is to make sure to
find that time – to make that time.
We wish all of you a wonderful 2012!
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