A Somber Update on Christmas
My grandfather's condition has been worsening steadily the last month and a half. He fell out of bed once last week and has fallen twice tonight, luckily he hasn't hit his head or broken any bones, miraculously he hasn't gotten more than a small scrape. But he has more melanoma, his skin condition having gone from being something that needed to be checked every few months, if that, to the point now where several visible spots of melanoma develop every two weeks or less. Earlier this month he got an appointment for treatment out of town in January, and, in the few weeks since then, it has undoubtedly progressed another stage (which means that the cancer is now a threat to other parts of his body, particularly his lymph node system).
Of course, with all of that I try to help with and everything going on outside of that with both my grandfather and myself, I've had to put everything else aside except for cooking. Map making and drawing, video games, most writing, and all DMing with friends being cancelled which includes planned adventures in Dark Sun, Shadowfell, Ravnica, and a Sunless Citadel adventure extravaganza continuing on from an adventure there when I was a kid. The blog was sadly one of the first things to take a hit months ago when I first moved in with my grandfather as a caregiver, and although I hope to start posting more soon, it's impossible to plan anything for it.
On top of all of that, with the long winter nights and the sad, very noticeable absence of family and friends around for the holidays, we've both definitely slipped into a bit of seasonal depression. I try to stay positive, upbeat and active, some days I have the time and energy, other days it's tough.
There is some good news, though, and that is that we had a nice and lazy Christmas Eve (aside from the falls), with a small yet pleasant dinner and dessert while watching Aliens, then It's a Wonderful Life on TV, and listening to some miscellaneous winter and holiday music. Tomorrow we also have plans to get together with one of my grandfather's good friends and one or two of their family members and help cook Christmas dinner, as long as my grandpa is feeling well.
Sorry for the absence, but thanks for the couple of kind and uplifting words from you strangers, as well as the folks still stopping by to check out fairly popular (for me) Brash Brutes posts and, bizarrely (to me), one of the Dark Legacy posts.
Best wishes and many thanks. Happy holidays everyone.
