1,000 cranes for josh...

Sometimes when someone you love is going through a hard time, it's hard to know what to do to help cheer them up.

But over the last three weeks, many of Josh's friends and family came out to fold origami cranes to fulfill the Japanese tradition of giving him 1,000 cranes to make a wish on.

It was an amazing experience to meet all of these people connected to our friend Josh and to see them all come out for the same reason--to send him our love and good wishes.

Plus, it was fun to see who had the skills and who were very good at fold origami turkeys. (I'm in the turkey club.)

Thank you to everyone who came out and folded, and also to those of you who mailed in and dropped off cranes. The result was spectacular and I think Josh really appreciated them.

there is a huge gaping hole in my blog...

I don’t write about my dear friend Josh’s cancer because in the past I’ve felt like it wasn’t my experience to write. He does an amazing job writing about it on his own blog and way too often I feel like there is no way I could capture the intensity of his and his family's situation with my second or third hand experience.

Except that there are times when I find that I don’t write about the happy or interesting things in my life because what I’m actually totally consumed with is how this vibrant and beautiful family that I love deeply is suffering so much. And so Josh's story becomes all of our stories, too. And in supporting my friends in the best way that I can, I am superbly pissed off at the situation.

As I wait for Josh and Kim to get back from their latest scan, I’m finding it impossible to think about anything else but them.

It is totally unfair that when their oldest son comes over to play that I want to watch him for any minute signs of distress. Why should he feel anything but childish freedom when he comes to play with my kids in the backyard to swing and shout and play as if that’s all he needs to do? Why shouldn’t what game he chooses next be the most important thing he thinks about?

And, the thought of my strong and beautiful friend, Kim, holding up her universe on her shoulders just breaks my heart into sharp little pieces. Isn’t it hard enough to raise three small kids, carve out a successful career, and generally keep things together without having to watch your best friend, your childhood sweetheart, your husband suffer?

And while we all know it is beautiful and important to appreciate each moment with family, my wish for my friends is the gift of negligence. I wish they could greedily gulp up the time they have together, swallowing it whole, without worrying how much is left.

I wish Josh could rest now and know that there would be a time when he’d have the energy and strength to play hard with his boys and chase after his wild and beautiful little girl.

I want to run with him again. I want to swear him to the secrecy of the run so that Kim and I could talk freely and have him laugh at our superficial banter.

I want our families to play together, to camp together, to laugh together without this huge asshole that is cancer always getting in the way of things.

I want him to laugh.

So with whatever you’ve got, whatever faith you believe in, please pray for my friends and send healthy, healing prayers to Josh…

encore presentation of my left hand tonight...

Our good friend Josh Isaac's documentary, My Left Hand will screen tonight in an encore presentation at Congregation Beth Shalom in Seattle. If you're in town and haven't seen it, it's definitely worth seeing--especially if you've ever been affected by cancer.

I don't write much about Josh's battle because he does it so powerfully in his own blog. But this film is incredibly moving in that it truly captures his strength, perseverance, and even his sense of humor during his painful journey. Josh's voice is strong in this film and the experience is something you won't forget.

my left hand : A film by Joshua Isaac
Thursday, January 29, 7:00 pm
Congregation Beth Shalom 6800 35th Ave NE, Seattle
1-800-838-3006 or http://www.brownpapertickets.com/

If you can’t attend (or even if you can but want your own) you can purchase a copy of My Left Hand from the website. They’ll also try to sell a few at the screening minus the shipping and handling fees. And Josh is donating a portion of the funds from the sales to support the NW Sarcoma Foundation.

my left hand @ NW Film Forum...

I just got back from the NW Film Forum where I saw my friend, Josh Isaac's, documentary about his journey with cancer, My Left Hand. It truly is an amazing film in all its honesty, beauty, and pain. And it's inspiring that through all of the trials and struggles that cancer has brought to his life, the film truly celebrates hope, joy, and life. The original soundtrack by Kevin Thornton is also really good and worth hearing.

If you missed the screening, you can buy the DVD on the My Left Hand site.