The entire lot of us Pattis spent a wonderful Sunday with our dad, celebrating a truly cherishable birthday. We celebrated him with our "small" group of 20, and he was kind enough to share his day with 4 of his grandchildren and his son Tony too. Our dad seemed particularly chipper throughout the day: he arrived with a smile, snacked with an appetite we haven't seen in quite a while, and involved himself in meal prep--stirring and sampling, adding his own touches. Seeing our dad hang out in the kitchen again was a significant moment for me, as he has always seemed to enjoy cooking and "feeding" us all with our traditional Sunday family dinners. These pasta dinners have become understandably scarce this year. Lethargy, depression, and the other effects of disease and chemotherapy have kept our dad far from the kitchen. In addition, our time together as a great big family unit, as our parents love to see, has become limited by the busyness of life.
But today we all genuinely seemed to enjoy each other. Our generally unpredictable togetherness pleasantly surprised us all, I think. And most important, our dad really seemed altogether content. One year ago, we celebrated his 70th birthday with similar, but small, fanfare. I was constantly reminded of the loveliness of last year as I watched my dad interact with each of us today, one year later, with so much change in such a short time and how that same short time feels like an agonizing eternity. Every minute today, to me, felt a a bit sweeter than the year before. On this happy family celebration, life felt uncluttered, uncomplicated, and unblemished. It felt normal once again, if only just for the day.
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