Eyes are so complex that both Jules and Doris needed their own buildings.
Jules was the founder of MCA and his institute operates as the ophthalmology department of the David Geffen School of Medicine....who started Asylum Records and is one of the founders of Dreamworks along with Steven Spielberg and Jeff Katzenberg.
So far all this story indicates is that one should definitely pursue SHOW BUSINESS if they want to have medical buildings carry their names. It also apparently helps if you belong to a certain tribe.
That last comment is a humor tag so just relax Elvis....don't get your trousers in a bunch...................which by the way.....I have no idea if get your trousers in a bunch is actually an expression.
Yesterday was Grace Fairly's Birthday and I forgot completely because of being at the eye institute which brings me back to why I was there and who I met.
My friend Tom Sullivan. who happens to be an extremely private person and probably doesn't appreciate me writing about his situation, had to have major eye surgery. In my humble opinion any surgery to the eye is major. Cataract surgery is major major and that's what was taking place. My job was to drive him there....wait.....and then drive him home. While in the waiting mode of the experience I was sitting in the Family and Guest Holding Room.....which of course was called something else but that's how I remember the title. It might have been the little GeffenStein waiting room but probably not. Anyway while I was sitting there reading the Breeder Cub racing form I was casually listening to two adult women who were also in the waiting room. They were kinda whispering but it was a small room so I wasn't able to completely shut down my ear canals. It became obvious that they were mother and daughter and I assumed, for whatever reason, that they were waiting for the husband of the more mature woman and the father of the daughter....who was also mature.....just younger.
It's just the natural order of things isn't it?
But as you well know the natural order of things sometimes doesn't play by the rules.
What isn't natural is to discover that they were waiting for a seven year old son and grandson named Emmit. I'm pretty sure that's how you spell Emmit but it might be Emmet and it might be Emmett.....anyway, since he's the new friend I met I'll figure out his spelling later.
He and I only spoke for about 45 seconds and in that 45 seconds I learned a few important things. Maybe not so much about him but a whole lot about me. I'll learn about Emmit once he's in a more communicative state of mind. Had I been in Emmett's position at that moment I would have told the old fart talking to me to hit the f..king highway. History proves that I'm not the greatest patient and it was apparent that Emmit had much more composure than I.....and most likely is a lot smarter than me.
A small flash of the eyes of a young man going through what he's gone through is all it takes to register soul size and heart.
BOTH WERE HUGE.
I'm not going to detail everything right now because to be honest I don't know him well enough to share anything. He might not want me babbling on about his battles....but I think he would prefer to be quoted correctly instead of having me assume what he thinks and feels. Suffice to say the last few years have been a huge battle in the life of a young man...and the battle has been shared by a large extended family that also appears to have huge portions of grace and love filling their daily lives. I have no idea what their last name is but I can tell you that Mary Margaret is the Grandmother, Katie is the mother, Patrick is the father and Emmett has two younger brothers named Jack and Sean.
What this family has gone through in the last two years is beyond my comprehension.
And after saying that.... I'd also like to state that I wish it was happening with me and my son....and I'm extremely happy that it's not happening with me and my daughter.
I will find out today when I go back to Steinville (Tom has to have bandages removed to see if the surgery was successful) what the family name is, and then I will write a letter to Emmett and then I will be able to give you real quotes from the mouth of a young warrior.
Until then....no matter what you might be going through.....good or bad....it's important to share light with those who have to battle darkness. Battling illness is one of the darkest things we face and when that battle is being conducted by a seven year old boy......it simply causes pain in both the heart and the soul.
We can make it better........and the we refers to anyone who is healthy....which in my case isn't exactly correct....but compared to Emmett ( in his current state) I'm an Olympian getting ready for 2012 in London.
The concept of visiting sick children in hospitals isn't a new idea....but when was the last time you did it?
I'm going to start by communicating with my new friend and I'll let you know how that goes after I get further into the story.
I'm pretty certain that this story will have all the elements needed to simply break your heart and then lift your spirits.
You can start lifting your spirits right now by doing something for someone else who can't do it for themselves....and if it happens to be a young person that you don't even know....I think that all the inhabitants of planet Earth.......benefit.
It's a nice sound that is generated from displaying Grace and Love.
Like a soft hummmmmmmmmmmmm......
Michael Timothy McAlevey
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