Micki Miracle

Ruska



Micki in her glorious new bed

Graham has been exhausted this week. Thank goodness for visitors. I don't know whether it's the welcome distraction they bring, the care they demonstrate, the interesting conversation, and/or if having visitors brings on a little bit of an adrenaline kick, but visitors make Graham feel better not just mentally but physically too.

On Thursday, we had a lovely visit from Graham's boss, Ruska. She brought us greetings and some super thoughtful gifts from Genentech mensches (a mensch is Yiddish for a good, nice person).

They gave Graham a wonderfully soft, warm Genentech jacket and scarf. And Natalie S. got Graham some more of that incredibly rich chocolate pudding that he loves so much. Thanks, Natalie!

Joan T., you have a knack for picking the perfect gift. Among other very welcome goodies, Joan gave little Micki a gorgeous dog bed that Micki fell immediately in love with. As soon as it was out of the bag, Micki pushed it with her nose to the center of the living room, so all could gaze upon her regal self in adoration. Then she rolled all over the bed, and finally, snuggled into it for a good nap. And she's been using it every day since.

Good thing too, since the very next day, the ceiling fell down right on top of her old bed!!! Yes, really. If it weren't for Joan's thoughtfulness, Micki would likely be a seriously hurt pooch.

A friend was kindly helping us store some stuff up in the attic, and he inadvertently stepped off the rafters, through the ceiling. Thankfully, he was able to stop himself from falling to the floor and hurting himself (big miracle #1, he walked away with a small scratch), but some of the heavy wallboard fell right on top of Micki's old bed. Normally at that time of day, Micki hangs out in that bed, because it faces the front door, and of course she's on demon-dog alert, waiting to scare away the mailman. But Friday, thanks to Joan, Micki had no interest in her old bed, and was saved from getting konked on the head.

So instead of being a tragedy, with a hurt friend and dog, it turned into one of those "how cool is that?" moments. The other amazing thing was that of all the places our friend could have stepped through the ceiling, it was in exactly the spot we needed to fix anyway, because there was a crack there already from an earlier incident with an electrician. Sweet!

Friday night we went to services and Bill F. gave a wonderful sermon on how to know when night turns into day. Is it when you can see where your yard stops and your neighbor's begins? Is it when you can see what color your neighbor's eyes are? No, it's when you can look into your neighbor's eyes and see in their reflection the faces of your own family. "Light" comes when we look for what we have in common, rather than what divides us.

Saturday visitors:

On Saturday, we enjoyed a visit with our neighbors Jimmy and Dick. We got to hear all about Dick's adventures knocking on doors, campaigning for Obama all the way in Nevada. Even though we're voting for McCain, we admire anyone who cares enough to get involved with a campaign or issue.

Dick, Jimmy and their beautiful dog, also named Micky.

That evening, Graham's brother Gary came over and we went for Japanese food at Bonsai in Atherton. Love their indoor fish pond!

THANKS: Thank you, Lisa H., for the delicious Shepherd's pie. We had it for lunch today.
Thank you Ruska, Natalie, Joan and the rest of the Genentech gang for your thoughtful gifts. Graham will feel your warmth and caring whenever he wears the jacket and scarf.

Lisa H's daughter Juliette and Micki