"How are you and Laura doing?"

Do you really want to know? I mean, I'm sure you care and you really are concerned for us but what would you do if we told you the truth? How comfortable or uncomfortable would you be with the truth? How accepting or condemning would you be if we revealed our truest selves/feelings?

Wouldn't you rather us give you a "fine" or "okay" or a "hanging in there" kind of answer and leave it at that? Wouldn't you feel good if we quoted some feel good scripture like "we haven't been given any more than we can handle"?

Thing is, sometimes the only answer Laura and I can muster is a simple "fine" or "okay" but there are times when we have so much to say but we find it better to be somebody else for your sake.

The Dave Matthews Band says it best in their song So Much to Say:

I say my hell is the closet I'm stuck inside
can't see the light
and my heaven is a nice house in the sky
I got central heating and I'm alright
yeah yeah yeah can't see the light
keep it locked up inside don't talk about it
t-t-talk about the weather
yeah yeah yeah
open up my head and let me out little baby
'Cos here we have been standing for a long long time
can't see the light
treading trodden trails for a long long time,
time, time, time, time, time, time

I find sometimes it's easy to be myself
sometimes I find it's better to be somebody else

I see you young and soft oh little baby
little feet, little feet, little hands little baby
one year of crying and the words creep up inside
creep into your mind yeah
so much to say, so much to say, so much to say, so much to say
so much to say, so much to say, so much to say, so much to say
'Cos here we have been standing for a long long time
can't see the light
treading trodden trails for a long long time...........

I find sometimes it's easy to be myself
sometimes I find it's better to be somebody else

so much to say, so much to say, so much to say, so much to say ohh
so much to say, so much to say, so much to say, so much to say
little baby ahh
so much to say, so much to say, so much to say, so much to say
little feet little hands little baby
so much to say, so much to say, so much to say, so much to say

open up my head and let me out little baby

I've sat by Ira's bed attempting to come up with different greetings but they all fall short of the standard "how are you doing?" greeting. So please don't stop asking because Laura and I choose to believe it is a real sign of your concern. Just know that we have so much to say but find it easier, at times, to be somebody else.