The glow of the fire kept my eyes unadjusted to my surroundings despite the bright night sky. By 9 pm we had been through 2 hours of contemplative talk while staring at features in the flames. Orange, yellow, blue, red, green, purple; all colors found in flames. The conversation just as colorful. The crackle of the fire eventually lulled me to that point just before sleep. But the chill of the night was just a bit too much. I sat up, added some wood, then turned to warm my other side. The cycle repeated. Within hours, I was wishing for the sun to rise, but there were still 5 hours of night to fill.

Hollywood romanticizes cowboys sleeping out on the range. I’ve done it dozens of times and have never felt great the next morning. In fact, usually terrible. The only good parts are what happens before you fall asleep. It is nearly perfect; sitting around a campfire sharing the night with friends. The flames still mesmerize, just like they did then. The conversations colorful. The chairs comfortable.

The kids organized a bonfire tonight with some friends. Tara and I were the lucky recipients of a few of their parents, also our friends, who found time to share with us, around the fire. We sat and discussed life; parenting, cancer, hope, work and more. The flames were beautiful and the smell brought back so many memories. It was a great time.

Tara is doing good. Swelling is the main issue right now. It will likely be the main issue for a long time. Chemo was earlier today, just Taxol. Seems pretty regular, right? The week was good. The weekend is here. God was good to us tonight.