What love does

Today Nika got to see her dad for the first time. She hopped into his bed like it was no big thing and snuggled him up.

She’s played this scene before, she knew enough to check for tubes, not hog the pillow, and be extra careful with the hugs. The staples were new. His confusion was new. But this scenario isn’t new to her. This is her life for the past six years. It’s what she knows. So they visited. They watched Sponge Bob and shared a bowl of hospital mashed potatoes. She checked out his cool new scar and claimed that mom totally over prepared her for this and that his hair was already covering it up.

Then she showed him her thumbs. Not just hers, but the ones she has been collecting on Instagram ever since she heard that her dad was able to give us a thumbs-up after surgery. She showed him pictures of so many people with their #thumbsupforrico hashtag. It’s a lot of love.

But then she broke out the video. It was short, only five seconds. Her best friend had been to an outdoor performance at the High School. It’s a biannual performance that Rico loves - our kids have been in it, we’ve volunteered there, we never miss it - never. There is no good excuse to miss Rock and Roll Revival.

Oh.

Except maybe brain cancer surgery.

So instead, we spent the night before surgery at the dress rehearsal, because we knew that by the time the show opened on this weekend, he’d be in no shape to even sit up, much less sing along.

And yet . . .

Here was this video. The director of the show told Rico’s story and asked the entire audience to give a thumbs-up for Rico. We have the photo. So many faces we love, and several we’ve never met - all smiling and cheering him on.

And we cried, we all cried.

“I have so much love going out,” Rico said, “but I have so, so much coming in. We are so lucky. So so lucky.”

This is what love does.

This is what your little thumbs, your notes, your hugs, your homemade strawberry jam do.

It makes a guy who has survived two sarcomas, nearly died in the  O.R. twice and who will have brain cancer for the rest of his life say “I’m so lucky.”

THAT is what love does.

And we repeat it back to him, “Yes we are. we really are lucky.” Because we believe it. There is no one as lucky as we are, to be loved by all of you.