Home Forever

That is how I feel: I am home forever. What happened to my sense of adventure and discovery? Maybe it's in Pastville with my hair and libido and my stamina and enthusiasm. The flight from Vancouver to Puerto Vallarta is 4.5 hours; yesterday our driver picked us up at 10:30 am and it was 13 hours, some of them very trying, before I was home in my condo.

And now it is Saturday morning and there is no cat here and neither is there Frani, Chris, Jessica, Todd, Sahara or Hudson. I am good at being alone but not for a couple of days after being with the Humphrey/Jared clan. I am blessed to have them in my life and so willing to include me in some family vacations.

Sahara cannot talk. She can only walk short distances as she has an awkward walk. She cannot eat meals; instead, she eats tiny bits of things constantly. Neither can she void easily. Both swallowing and voiding involve peristalsis which is a form of muscularity that Sahara lacks. She has three expressions that I can see—happy, a furrowed brow and neutral. Neutral is, by far, her dominant expression and she is a pincher. For some reason, she pinches and likes to grab your clothes with a fierce determined grip. 

Sahara is a handful for her mother and grandmother because of their long hair and what they wear—especially if they wear any jewellery or other adornments. They attract Sahara's grip. Even Todd gets his hair grabbed, but he is strong and can break her grip. But her bald, grandfather and I enjoy an easy rapport. We spent hours in the pool together because there is nothing to grab.

Love is an amazing thing. The Beatles, at their most eloquent and insightful, sang often of love. And with someone like Sahara love is special or different. Perhaps it is because loving Sahara involves learning a new language. And Hudson, at nine, is a north magnetic pole to my south. He loves songs, singing, drawing, reading and acting and so we have a common language. 

I loved Chris and Frani first, then came the second generation Jessica and Jake. Not surprisingly at all, this fag fell heavily for Jessica. If you love the mother, you can't help but love the daughter. The Humphrey ladies are both tens. And Jessica met Todd, Chris II, and the third generation arrived.

Jake is a part of my heart too. He married Allie and they have three kids; Coral and twins Dylan and Cameron. I wish I saw them more and must do that soon. They are part of a remarkable family. Lucky me to know them. I am do grateful to my friends for the riches they bring to my life.

Losing Chris and Mike this month has me hyper aware of love and friends. Merry Christmas.