a bit of the past

It's one of the more familiar places in LA. The rooms all looked down to a central "recreation room." It had a unique smell to it, and the air was california air. The noise routinely kept us up at night, along with the racing thoughts, stress and anxiety of that month. i remember the piano that I had to bribe the manager to unlock for me so I could play it to unwind. I remember walking to the pie house, the grocery store to track down squirt, and the hospital. I remember the busy traffic racing by on Santa Monica Blvd, and the car rides between CHLA and USC with my grandparents to visit much grumpy father and all too cheery uncle, both post-op. I remember pacing the halls walking on only one color tile at a time while I was banned from visiting in the ICU. I remember trying to find an internet connection to update Ross' blog for people back home back before the days of wireless. I remember waiting. I remember the waiting room of the hospital, I remember the lobby, I remember the phone that bridged the windowed walls of Ross' room which was my only form of communication with him for 2 weeks.

Being back in Ronald McDonald House (albeit a different one in a different city) and walking across the street to hang out with my brother brought a lot of old memories back. Ones that I haven't thought about in years. Silly ones too, like taking the bus to the beach with my grandpa and having him make friends with like everyone on it. And walking to the pie restaurant. My grandma "tsk-Tsking" in the backseat as my grandpa navigated the streets of LA. My uncle hauling my miserable dad out of the hospital and us finding them standing outside of USC with IV posts in their hospital gowns. My uncle bribing the nurses to bring him a steak and a glass of wine.

Just a trip down memory lane... A reminder of everything my family has been through in the last decade and how good Gods' been to us.