Helping Tommy get his car early and supporting him as he heads out for a full day. My one-on-one morning with Lauren: a stop at the Zen center, followed by an extended mountain drive through familiar and newly discovered places. The stunningly misty hills along a rainy drive down skyline with it's rich contrast of a wet grey road winding along the path ahead, the dark soil, and the deep brown trunks of trees obscured by their expansive span of light and dark leaves. The familiar and reminiscent venue of being on the patio at Alice's, again, just as I'd been a week prior with Tommy. Ordering and savoring the usual—a perfectly cooked cheeseburger with the requisite purple onions and bright red tomatoes. A pair of locked eyes in agreement as Jennifer continues to express amazement and gratitude for the family we are sharing and experiencing together. And the brief video clip Tommy shared with Jen of his day at Stanford showcasing the team's touching and emotional support of an 11-year-old heart transplant patient heading into the operating room.
These and more of the day's highlights encapsulate the takeaway, the closing moment, the epilogue or coda of having successfully navigated an exhausting path to finally arrive at a place of peace and harmony.
The state of things can and will change. Tomorrow marks the start of another day, bringing more challenges until there are no more days for them to arise. The thing about this that might last forever is the inspiration of believing something better is possible, and that it would be worth the effort it might take.