What a Crummy Night

So the girls and I were hanging out in the Wii room yesterday when I noticed it start getting warmer. I could tell the air conditioning was on, but it was blowing warm! Are you kidding me? We just got the stupid thing. So, I called the a/c company and they sent someone over, of course, after we sat in a rapidly heating house for over an hour. The guy told me that they needed to replace the air compressor, probably having something to do with the electrical storms we have been having. We bought the 10 year warranty, which meant it was totally free, but he didn't have the part and wouldn't until Friday morning. So, we set ourselves up for another hot night in the house. We have had quite a few, with lack of power after Hurricane Ike and then two times when the capacitor in our old air conditioner blew. I told Td if the guy wasn't able to fix it by Friday I would go and buy the $100 window unit at Home Depot. I wanted to have one on hand to run with a generator in case of another prolonged power outage.

So, I went back to the guest bedroom, TD toughed it out in our room and the girls got two big fans in the wii room. I managed to fall asleep at 11:30, but woke up at 2:30am. This was when I made the big mistake of checking my facebook page on my phone. A dear friend from Oregon posted that she was at our old hospital waiting for a surgery for her little boy to remove a newly discovered brain tumor. Ever since I read this my heart has been literally hurting. I can't believe this is happening to them, or to someone I know, or just some poor little kid. It made me think of that August night 4 years ago, when we had just learned of Fiona's tumor and how I couldn't sleep very well on the bed in her PICU hospital room. I would wake, regularly, with a start and the news would hit me all over again. That whole night I just couldn't stop crying.

This friend was one of the good ones. It's amazing what a great sifter something like cancer is. You think you know who your good friends are until they disappear into the woodwork, or say they will do anything and then never follow through. Even people in your own family don't make the cut and it's shocking. These people, who you have poured time and energy into a relationship with, don't return your phone calls, don't send your baby cards, and generally pretend the whole situation doesn't exist. She brought meals, sat and talked with me, sent her husband up to help give Fiona a church blessing. And here I sit, 2,000 miles away, unable to do anything.

I know that it is uncomfortable, you don't know what to say, how to help. Well, who cares? How do you think they feel? I know for a fact they don't know what to do and they feel horrible. Just a note, a card, a meal, something to let a friend know that you are thinking of them. My thoughts are with my friends and their little boy. I hope that the surgeons are able to get all of the tumor, without any effects, and that the prognosis is very favorable. And, if you know someone who is dealing with something and you aren't sure what to do about it? Ask them, sometimes they will have specific wishes and other times I have found it necessary to just barrel over them and take charge by bringing meals or taking their kids. It's hard to accept help and sometimes it's hard to give it, but I guarantee everyone will feel better.