Renu's Week

Monday, May 24, 2010

Report of 24 May 2010

Hello from Carmel public library -

Such a great place. Books, books, books, the Internet. I am hungry today as I type this, so cannot fully appreciate this place as my stomach is growling.

We are well, and back in town after some travels. Before we left, we had the pleasure of having lunch with Brenda and Jim Hillman. Jim was the manager of Medical Education at St. Vincent, and we have kept in touch since both of us went different ways. We try to see the Hillmans every time we are in town, as they are lovely people, and Brenda outdoes herself with the meal every time we meet. No different this time: after we had looked around their lovely garden (they are Master Gardeners), we ate. And ate and ate. We talked about all topics possible, the kids played with the dogs, and it was a memorable time.

We left town on Friday the 21st, and stopped by my Temple friend Angelique's place in Bernville, Pa. It has been over 20 years since I've seen the gracious and beautiful Ang, and what was to be a 30-minute visit ended up being 3 times that, involving the Weiss men easily in Angelique's inclusive conversation, and lots of catching up, which was lovely. We headed onto Scott's cousins' place - Jeff and Anne are warm, funny people and have 2 daughters, Claire and Helena. I usually live vicariously through Anne as I have no daughters. This stop was very therapeutic and laughter-filled, for all. We then saw Ann and Phil Bagley, parents of my friend Doug, but now friends of mine as well. They epitomise class and grace to me, and we had a nice time gabbing away. We saw Glenn Gross, my Temple friend, who has beaten cerebral palsy enough to get a Ph.D., and now works for HUD; we had pizza and some sinful pastries and could not stop talking or laughing. Glenn's sense of humor is legendary, and the boys could not help but laugh at some of the things he said. We missed Beth Gross, who had another family commitment; I have met Beth, and can attest to her goodness. We then went onto NJ, where a friend had organised a fundraiser for the Banyan; it was a family endeavor with her husband, her Mom, and her kids pitching in. It was a very nice evening, with a lot of her friends easily sharing their goodness with us. She is a beautiful (inside and out) young woman with very expressive eyes, I have only known her for about 2 years and yet we carry on as though we met 30 years ago - such is her heart. Which has, for long, wanted to give back, and so, she has chosen to give back to the Banyan. Lucky us. We were happy that Scott's friend, Craig, drove down from Baltimore to see us at this event; Craig is a dear sort, avowedly single ("I need to take your sons to Hooters" "No, you don't"), and we always have plenty to talk about, since his irreverence is a treat to be around. We spent the night at a friend's place, and I loved being around her dear mother, who fed us non-stop, packed some food for us (including some sumptious walnut halwa), and talked away about all things Indian and not. I am a big fan of parents of friends. We then got together with childhood friend Farshid, his wife Savita and kids Sasha and Keya. My parents have known Farshid since he was born, his parents have known me since I was about 4 or so, I call his father "Sasuro" (father-in-law), and there is a giant kinship with Farsh which the years or circumstances have not diminished (I am fortunate). Savita is a lovely addition to this family, and we have appreciated seeing them whenever circumstances allow. This stop, also, ended up being much longer than planned due to the unending chatter and laughter.

Work has been good, and the patients are trying to do as they are told. I walked into the exam room of a 17 year old patient the other day, and his mother and a baby in an infant seat were also present; the 17 yo very quickly told me, "He's not mine." I am happy the young man still remembers lessons from last year: Abstain, but if you must experience intimacy, use protection. His initial reaction to my entry, quickly disavowing parenthood, was extremely funny, and I laughed out loud.

Naren and Navin joined me in speaking at the fundraiser. They said poignant things about what they had seen at the Banyan, including the wide smiles on patients' faces. Unknown to me, Naren had promised Navin $10 if he could use the word "Woof" 10 times in the speech. So Navin said things like: "I am grateful to Vandana and Vaishnavi, woof ounded the Banyan, to my mother woof orced me to speak tonight," and so on. Naren started laughing in the middle of it, and leaned over to say something to Navin, which I found out later was "You are at 8 so far." Navin got all 10, got the $10, and the boys shared a camaraderie, which I found quite cute. The trip was by car and a friend asked if the boys don iPods as soon as we head out; I said No, they are forced to converse with us, or all vote on a radio station, etc. It was a nice trip, though cramped (even for my short legs), and I am glad all of us got to go. The bond with the 3 Weiss men is something I always feel blessed for, and the men know that they are the most important people in my world, and that I am okay with the fact that, currently, I may not be among the most important people in theirs.

My father is well, I spoke to him last week and the call was short as he had visitors in town for the 10th anniversary of the Smile Train. He stays active, which I am happy about.

Unw -

R

1 Comments:

  • Bosey! Do you remember that nickname when you lived at the Y in Madras all those years ago? Funny I was on Facebook today and I decided to look for you -could not find you so I looked for your sister-sound her than you -googled you and found an article in the Hindu about you and your dad-celebrating his birthday. So I read up all about you and am caught up on your activities of thge least 20 plus years, I last spoke to u when I was in Colorado and you were in Houston. I keep in touch with Asha-she is in Ireland. I live in Dallas now with my husband Johannes. Email me-would love to here from you or Iw ill send you an email message through FaceBook shortly and send you my details. found this blog when I googled you. sarita.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 30/5/10 10:04 PM  

Post a Comment

<< Home