This past weekend we went to Kerens, where Ken's sister and her family live. We enjoyed their church's Christmas play and had dinner together afterward.
As I drove home, I thought how lucky I feel to be a part of that family. Good as gold, they are.
I didn't realize until afterward the hidden gift of the day. Ken was telling them that he is feeling better, really he is; better than he has in years. He would make a typical Ken joke and they would grin at each other and say, "he's back!"
I have been seeing it in the last few months and weeks, but this was a different kind of seeing: looking through someone else's eyes. (Four people's eyes, three of whom have all known him much longer than I have.) The last time we were there was in March, and he was feeling really terrible.
There have been several periods when he didn't think he was going to make it. For a while he didn't want to.
But, today, he is back.