Dinner Party

Yesterday I was invited over to a dinner thrown by the parents of Curtis, a friend of mine in the CPE program. I had an amazing time with Curtis’ family: getting to meet his wife, his mother and father, his sister, his son and his wife and child, and a couple whom I wasn’t sure if they were neighbors or close friends. In any case, for two hours, I shared a dinner with them and got to know their family and how they interacted with one another. It completely reminded me of my own family back home and things that I miss.




Here’s an example: they have a dog named Buttons who is full of energy. Totally reminds me of my sister’s dogs, Kobe and Roxy…Mika’s dog Suki…and even Kyle’s dogs Nike and Radar.



This has been the first time in 9 weeks that I’ve felt some taste of home. I liked it. And because of that, I miss it. Aside from those feelings, what I felt most is sense of belonging that I haven’t felt since I’ve been back. I now feel like I belong in the CPE program – like I sorta know what I’m doing and won’t panic if I make a mistake. But what I’m talking about is a sense of belonging for being “Jon”. And although I do connect with people very intimately and personally every day in the hospital, I’ve been missing the connections and relationships with people outside of work. Luckily we live in a modern age of cell phones and Facebook/Google+/Skype, you can’t take them to movies or to burger king or even just to get gas across the street.



So, I just wanted to say, thank you to Curtis and his parents, Ron and Joyce (sorry if I'm spelling this wrong!) for allowing me into your home for a dinner that was well appreciated. Not just for the food (BECAUSE I AM A MAN WHO LIVES TO EAT), but also because of the company, the warmth, and the acceptance.