Cousins' Weekend

Cousins' Weekend

When my cousin Jeanette learned I had lung cancer, she called right away and asked when she could come to visit. She and her husband Richard live in San Marcos. I had seen Jeanette about three years ago when she came to Dallas to attend our cousin Judy's wedding to John Clark. On the other hand, I hadn't seen Richard in 25 years or more. 

I looked at my calendar and we decided the weekend of January 12-13 would be the best because it was the weekend before another chemo treatment. Once we settled on a time, I contacted Judy and her sister Kathy to see if they wanted to have a cousins' reunion. We all enjoyed one another when we were younger, but time and distance issues have prevented us from getting together much as adults.

Kathy wasn't able to join us, but Judy and John came over on Saturday and we all had the best time! We laughed and laughed the whole day and most of the night. It was wonderful therapy - great for the soul!!! John, Richard, and Robert were very compatible and the three cousins couldn't have been happier to be together. We vowed we won't wait so long to get together again. I pray we hold to our promise to one another!

Walking the Trail

Jeanette had two goals when they came to Dallas. She wanted Richard to get to experience the Goldmine Restaurant in Garland and she wanted to take a walk on the nature trail behind our home. Since the Goldmine is our home away from home, the first goal was accomplished early on Saturday morning and again on Sunday morning! Mom was able to join us for our Sunday breakfast. She and Jeanette had a wonderful time talking about Baylor girl's basketball, among other things. I am so fortunate and thankful that Mom, at 82, is healthy and her mind is still sharp.

While it was rainy and cold on Saturday, Sunday was bright and sunny. So, when we returned home from a very long breakfast at Goldmine, Jeanette and I changed into our tennis shoes and headed out on a walk. Cotton and Barney were so excited to be out on the trail - they haven't gotten nearly as many walks as they are accustomed to getting since I have been sick. 

The path behind the house is not particularly long. I think it is a total of 1.5 miles from end to end. If you walked the entire thing both directions, you'd walk 3 miles. Under normal circumstances, walking it both directions is something that I can do with no problem. Since I have been sick and not as active as normal, I am able to walk only about half of it before I wear out. 

We and the dogs had a great time! It was an absolutely beautiful day - just a little chilly when the wind could come through the trees. The trail was mostly dry so we didn't even end up with muddy feet or dogs!

When we passed one of my most favorite trees on the path, Jeanette suggested that we take some pictures with the dogs. I think they turned out really well:

What a wonderful time we had! The weekend was over before we realized it. Rich and Jeanette headed back toward San Marcos and I came in and crashed for a few hours on the couch. I hope we have the opportunity to get together many more times over the years and that all of us are healthy enough to truly enjoy the time like we did this time!