Tuesday, September 30, 2014

You'll Live

"You'll live."

I say it all the time.

We're pretty laid back parents. At least we used to be.
A bump on the head?
Here's a kiss.
An owie?
Here's a ninja turtle bandaid. All better.
Stubbed your toe?
You'll live.

And then along came Cancer.
Bumps on heads were major.
Owies? Beyond major.
Toe stubbing? Could be life-threatening.

You'll live.

The words catch in my throat now.

I want to bite them back, I want to pull them out of the air where they hang, in big purple bubble letters, waiting for a child to respond....what if I don't?

You'll live.

Am I the same parent who walked into the Emergency Room on June 9, 2012? No, I am most certainly not. That bump on Solly's leg that I noticed in the bath the other day? I'm sure he just banged into the playground equipment. I'm sure of that. I keep telling myself that I'm sure. 

And yet that bump keeps me up at night...tumor?

I want so desperately to give my kids a world of safety and security, in which bumps are just bumps. So I run my fingers gently over the bump, waiting for it to go away...counting the minutes until it does or until I feel not-quite-so-crazy taking my kid to the doctor to have him tell me that it's just a bruise. A bump. Or maybe by the time I've made the appointment it will have faded into nothing. Does this hurt? I ask....

Sammy was so brave.
You want to know why he was brave? Because we told him over and over again that he was. We tried not to lie. I never said "It's going to be fine."

But I'm sure I said, "you'll live."

And that was a lie.
May 2008

February 2008

December 2009 -- he LOVED to lick the bowl. Raw eggs? You'll live.

6 comments:

  1. Yes, I can understand that nothing seems benign or harmless anymore....

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  2. What is the keyboarding representation of putting a thousand tears on the screen?

    <3 <3 <3.

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  3. Once again, after reading your entry, my heart is full to overflowing. There are simply no words. Peace to you and to your lovely loving family

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  4. Sammy lives on in the hearts of the thousands of people who's lives he touched.

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  5. I'll live--so much more richly for Sammy's bravery. May all the peace and mercy of Yom Kippur cover you and your family this holy time.

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  6. Still reading . . . just wanted you know. Like everything, this brought tears to my eyes.

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