I just got back from visiting my dad's family in Oak Ridge.

Like many of you know, my dad has pancreatic cancer, so everything is crazy.

Such as my grandfather. He and my grandmother have been divorced for thirty-seven years. He was an abusive, unfaithful alcoholic who abandoned her and their three children. For decades, he was not a part of the family.

But ten years ago, he came around and began to forge relationships with his kids. Gramma was still a little bitter towards him, as can be expected.

Then Dad was diagnosed. His father has made regular visits to Oak Ridge since then, and I guess Gramma and he have buried the hatchet, because when I arrived, he was staying in one of her guest bedrooms. Which is really almost unbelievable, knowing the history.

Gramma has forgiven him, and she even admires him for changing. She told me that he's become a considerate and loving person who deeply regrets his past and wants to make amends. Pretty amazing.

Anyway, Dad is doing okay. He's tired and in pain, and he doesn't look good. But there's still a chance.

When I get my pictures developed, I'm going to put up a page on my website about the trip. I'll post a link in this thread for those of you who know Dad.

By the way, when catching a connecting flight in Dallas, I saw a man wearing a gold medal. It was the size of an Olympic medal, and he wore it on a red, white and blue ribbon around his neck. He didn't look like an athlete, but there are so many different kinds of athletic physiques that I could be wrong.

I kept sneaking looks, but I'm too wimpy to stare. He looked pretty normal... in other words, not like someone wearing a gold medal to mess with people. But it was weird. Do Olympic athletes who have won medals ever wear them casually? Do they keep their medals?

Maybe it was just a medal for a spelling bee.

--Jessica