Denver Doug is a very sweet man. I have been reading his journal for.. it's got to be at least 8 years now? I can picture sitting in the teeny bedroom of my dad's house, after my grandpa died. Maybe that's what drew me to him? To his journal? That he was like the grandpa I no longer had..
Doug has spent countless hours typing stories about his days as a young boy; the early years of his marriage to Heather; times spent with kids and grand (and great-grand) kids; being open and honest about his short-comings as a person.
Somewhere in my office is a short note he send me, with the above picture. I think it was for Christmas.. it was so long ago. But treasured. It might seem odd that I'm a 30-some odd gal reading the journal of an 80-something man, but Doug is just one of those people (as I see him) that you just really find yourself feeling great affection for.
I had realized a bit ago that I had not been receiving updates from him. It's been a few months... so I looked back several entries, and discovered some bad news. I believe it's lung cancer (although that bit is uncertain). But he is "stage 4", and has been doing radiation. This news is painful. Painful because he and his family have lost so many people (just since I've been reading his journal) from cancer- including one of his sons. It's also painful because it's like finding out that my grandpa has cancer. You know that with his age, it would be something.. but it's still sad to read. Doug is a great guy, and I just hate hearing this news.
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