"A truly rich man is one whose children run into his arms when his hands are empty" (--Unknown)

This is my first entry for the Sketchbook Project. My moleskine arrived safely, and I am starting to fill it when I can.

Each person's sketchbook is supposed to have a theme. My theme is "This is not a sketchbook." So, while it's "not a sketchbook," it IS a journey through lovely places, a book for dreams, a travel catalogue, etc...

I'm sure it will take me a while to fill it up, especially with a million interruptions, but it's a start. The nice thing about this is that it's an exercise more than anything. The paper in the book itself is not watercolor paper, so it's nothing I'm worried about wasting. I'll "just do it." So you'll see some of it--the good, the bad, and the ugly!

I'm in Georgia right now visiting my dad again, who came home with me at 11pm last night from another visit to the hospital, this time for a pleurodesis procedure, which I'm sure was not much fun. So far, he's had bypass surgery, and not one--but five thoracentesis procedures, followed by the latest--this pleurodesis.

I spent a night worrying, up and down with every peep out of him, so today I've been pretty exhausted. It was a long drive down and a long day yesterday at the hospital. I had to get testy with him today when he was wandering around the house without his walker--"I'm testing fate," he said.

Trust me, I was ready to "test some fate" for him, if you catch my drift. He said this to me just a little while after relaying to me that "since his bypass surgery several months ago, his legs have given way beneath him unexpectedly three times."

I tell myself--somehow, God alone knows how, he's managed to make it to 86, so I just have to let it go. I'm going to sleep like the dead myself tonight.

"Children learn to smile from their parents." (--Shinichi Suzuki)

(Anyone else having problems with blogger today?! This is awful!)