John Michael lives in NYC right now and is attending the Michael Howard acting program. It’s a big deal. He has completed three years at Santa Clara University and is deferring a year to participate in this program that he was selected for. You gotta love and admire someone that gives up pretty much everything to follow his dream. He’s lucky to have the support to give it a shot.

On the night before the storm hit I called JM and asked him if he wanted me to “get him out”. No, he said, I’m good. The storm came, the lights went out, it was dark. Cold, dark and no lights. I know that feeling in the somewhat rural setting I am in – and I know it in the Bay Area for those mandatory blackouts we used to have while working at Sun. But, what I don’t know and can’t imagine, is a blackout in the metro. High rises with nothing – complete darkness. Silence. No phone coverage. (he has AT&T and from what I understand they don’t have generators at every cell tower so that impacted his ability to get coverage – but that’s another story). For the area, JM had it easy since so much around him got destroyed!

Halloween night, JM calls and said “I wish I took you up on your offer to get out of the area. We don’t have power so I don’t have class until at least next week.” He was walking down the toward Time Square telling me about what his eyes saw along the way including the bus line that was four people wide and wrapped around the corner. The trains still weren’t running, but they were getting a little closer. We found a bus that got him out the next day – and we were all so excited to have him spend the time with us.

Blackout or no blackout. It’s fun to have family around. It’s fun to watch JM get closer to the kids and to Shad. Sometimes you forget how important family is – but I’m a big believer in you do ANYTHING for family. And, I love that he is just a bus ride away. I love that the kids are going to get to “know him better” over the course of the year and a few more visits than normal.

I’m thinking we’re the lucky ones.