Today was the calm before the storm.. no.. scratch that.. it was the storm before the calm.. I took the day off to help Max get ready for going back to Pratt.  I spent most of my day working on paperwork for health insurance financial aid, student loans and that kind of stuff. Just the stuff I try to avoid having to do at work.. yuck. For a guy that’s never balanced a check book, this stuff doesn’t come easy. It’s a wonder anyone gets to go to college withal the steps it takes.  Max and Diane ended up working the entire day on cleaning, sorting, packing all the stuff a kid needs to make a new nest elsewhere. At mid day the house looked like a tornado had passed through.

There were piles of things everywhere. Some going, some staying. Some undecided. Miraculously. All of it found a place by midnight.. the house is calm and quiet and the car is packed.

We leave tomorrow at 6AM.  It’s going to be so strange to take Max back to Pratt . But we all feel that it’s the right thing for him to do. I can tell that Max is psyched  to be going back . I admire his guts. I don’t think I could launch into something like that at this point in my life.

 

 

Aside for packing.. not much more to report..  I got a haircut today because I was begining to look too much like Santa.. 

Before

After

I also took a short break at midday to have lunch with my good friend Jolly who was visiting folks at IBM.

He and I went to grad school together. He’s such a great guy. I had intended to talk work during lunch.. but we mostly talked about life, families, Sam.. and more life. It was just what I needed today.. In the same.. just what we needed spirit, Jen and Tim knew we’d be stressing about getting Max ready  so they invited us up with Deb and Barry and kids for a quick delicious  dinner. We got there about an hour after their cat, Bob died of a heart attack.   That was pretty sad. Bob was a funny creature…. I’ll miss him. … At the same time, we got to meet their new cat Billy Jo, a tailless Manx cat.   Everywhere the circle of life…

 

 

Lots of goodbye-for-nows  today. We also had to say good bye to Eric who’s leaving to go to school in Switzerland this year.. ”

Eric, Shaun and Ralph

And we had to say goodbye to Max’s girlfriend Jessie.. who will be starting at SUNY Plattsburgh next week. Jessie’s become like a family member here… She was with us when we went down to FL after Sam’s accident.  It was really hard for me to say goodbye  to her.

 Jessie. her dad John. and sister Jacki

The final act for the day was for me to take Gabe over to Dylan’s where he’ll stay while were taking Max.   Max and Gabe  said a warm brotherly  goodbye  to each other.. It was good to see and hard to see. Then  I drove off with Gabe…  

 

All the brothers are looking out for each other.. all  the brothers.

 

G’nite folks.. g’nite Sam

-me

 Ps. There will be a Friends of Sam Fundraiser this Sunday nigth at JDK. Here’s the info :