#873: Happy 3 Years

There have been a lot of anniversaries lately. On January 4, I celebrated (but not did not post about) 15 years of freedom from the Record Store. (Why beat a dead horse?) But today I choked up a bit when I saw the photo.

I say it was the happiest day of my life. It was the day I brought Jen home from the hospital after finishing her cancer surgery. The photo says it all. Look at that face. The glow. Just looking at her, reminds me of how worried I was. How much I missed her. How happy I was to be able to drive her home that day.

It was not a pleasant time when she was in hospital. It was a harsh winter. The drive to London and back was hell. I wasn’t eating. Finishing an apple was an ordeal. Meanwhile poor Jen was dealing with that nauseating hospital food. She started a game called “Guess the Grossness” where she would post pictures of her meals and people had to guess what they were. She was so strong at that time.

Little did we know that her mom, who was supporting us through all this, had less than nine months left to live. I can tell a secret now. The night that Jen had her surgery, her mom collapsed at the hospital. She hit the ground and bruised her face. She brushed it off and complained about a loose rug, and refused to be seen. Deep inside, I knew that she was hiding something. She didn’t tell us. I’ll never hold that against her — she did what she thought was right to support Jen, and I truly don’t know if we could have handled more stress at that time. So she quietly fought her own battle as Jen was dealing with hers. But that’s what happened. On the night my wife was recovering from her surgery, my beloved mother-in-law was dying of cancer that we didn’t even know about. But I could not have made it through all this without her support.

I dedicate this writing to Jen’s mom, who was with us side-by-side through it all, until she was unable to be. She was just as happy to have Jen home as I was. The picture says it all — the face of an angel aglow with life.

29 comments

        1. Yes indeed, Covid taught me a lot about taking things for granted and what really is essential. I was talking to my mom last night, we’re both sick of Covid. But I said “I still have a Streamyard subscription until August, so I guess it doesn’t matter!”

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        3. They keep me going Lana. On March 19 I’ll be doing the one year anniversary show, and I’ll be joined by Deke and Brent Jensen again! It’s what has kept me going through the past year. I need something to get me through the week and this has done it. Bret Michaels could “barely make it through the week” in Nothin But A Good Time, and I can relate to that. But the show keeps me going and I’m eternally grateful that A) people watch and B) people want to take part. I almost gave up completely until Meat came up with the Nigel Tufnel Top Ten idea. Now we always have something cool to talk about.

          I think maybe for the anniversary show with Brent, I’ll also show clips from the very first episode.

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        4. Awww the one year anniversary show is on March 19? How exciting! I can’t wait to tune in and hear you, Deke, and Brent make small talk again! Thank Meat for keeping the show going by suggesting the Nigel Tufnel Top Ten lists. I love seeing your interactions with Aaron, Sarah, Kevin, John, and Meat etc. because you’re laughing and having a good time. You know? We get to forget about the pandemic for a good two hours. You also taught me a good lesson…you’re never too old or too young to love rock n roll!

          That’d be cool since I was late to joining the Mike Ladano fan club. Plus it’s an awesome way to see how far your show has come since your first episode.

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    1. Mum was the toughest. She didn’t want us to know how she was suffering. Only wanted us to be happy. When she was on her deathbed, one thing she said was “When this is all over I’m going to buy you kids a nice dinner.” Of course she never did.

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  7. I can’t even put into words how much I admire what Jen’s Mom did for you both. Putting her children’s interests ahead of her own is something many assume every parent does, but they don’t. Fuck cancer.

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  9. Thanks for sharing this. At first I thought hell yeah you should mark that 15th anniversary, for catharsis! It’s a big part of your site’s origins! But as I read on, of course I knew there were bigger things. You guys have been through so much, but strong and together and that’s all that matters. Give ‘er!

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