Day 114

Benjamin has been asking to buzz his hair ever since he became friends with Cody. This is a blessing. He knows that in a couple of months, his hair will likely be gone entirely. For now, it’s only gone in patches. So in the interim it’s been a challenge to give him a style that marries the past with the future.

Banyan desperately needed a haircut too, so we took the boys to a clean place with no other patrons before Banyan’s basketball game. The stylist assigned to Benjamin was yet another blessing along this strange journey. She was familiar with the way hair comes out during chemotherapy, and made Benji feel so normal. She also had a tattoo of a skull with pigtails, scissors and a comb, so we knew she loved her job. Both boys got a great cut. Benjamin left feeling cool and confident.

After watching Banyan dominate defensively in his basketball game, Michael’s (amazing) mother took the boys to her house for a swim and some dinner. This was a huge blessing, as Michael and I got to enjoy our first date alone this year. Among many, many other things, we talked about the single mother in Gainesville whose son was recently diagnosed with leukemia. We wondered why it is that we are so cosmically fortunate to have such a solid partnership, when others are not. We vowed to make the most of this fortune and give thanks for it, and for the two beings we have created, as often as possible. Then we hopped on our bikes, and enjoyed a delicious sushi dinner for two.