Birth Day Living

Ax and I have the same birthday, which is especially special because it was also Ax’s official due date, which made me feel confident he would not be born on that day.  But he was, and so was I, and so it is. 

Usually we have lots of friends around. This year, we were physically with our little family pod but appreciated a ton of virtual love.  We could feel it all the way from all over.

And we could still feel the mourning for the loss of Mike’s dear friend and mentor Jack, who passed on this week, and who had become a bit of a grandfather figure to Ax and who I loved because of the love Mike had for him and the way Jack loved his family and his EMS family. He was full of passion and full of life.  That was evident, in a really inspiring way.  

The first time I met Jack in person was the night of my wedding to Mike.  It was a daytime wedding and Mike said he wanted to spend that evening with friends we didn’t normally get to see.  

So we ordered in pizza and spent that evening hanging  with Jack and his wife, with Jack explaining something possibly mathematical, possibly physics-related, having to do with healthcare, I think, which had Mike and our two other friends, physicians, rapt for four or five hours. 

Mike was thrilled and so was I, to have been able to share air with that big a heart and that big a brain was a gift.

Watching Jack think was like watching Yo-Yo Ma play violin or Roger Federer play tennis.  Joy, precision, and a kind of appreciable awesomeness I didn’t need to totally understand to be able to get.  

And with that big brain, such a big heart.  When it was time to leave, Jack hugged me to him, tight, looked in my face, and hugged me again.  I was approved.

And after everyone had gone, I said to Mike, “What just happened?”

With a huge smile, he said, “Jack.”

I’m gonna keep going.