Tonight, Jenn and I took Ryan to the mall to walk around and do some last minute shopping.  This has been a regular occurrence for us because we’ve been notoriously forgetful but moreover, Ryan just loves to be in public. Sadly, I needed to leave home tonight to be in New York City for a good friend who’s about to lose his mother to a prolonged battle with liver cancer.  This is painful, no doubt.

I’ve always thought (and having Ryan has only reinforced this) that losing a child must be among the greatest losses known to mankind but losing a parent has to be a close second.  I’ve watched my mother say goodbye to her parents and my father do the same to his mother and that was certainly very sad, but I wasn’t prepared to share this experience with friends… I’m still too young for that. Makes me certainly cherish the time we’ve got with our parents.

So I’m here, trying to be as supportive as I can be to a friend who’s been very supportive to me over the years. It’s the least I can do, and unfortunately the most.