Jordan: Would anyone like some of my pork chop? Jeanette: No, thank you. Me: Sure. I’ll have a bite. (Jordan serves me a giant bite) Me: Wow! That’s a big bite. Jordan (without any irony): Well, you have a big mouth.

We chatted and hung out tonight. I have been playing with a new lens (an early Christmas present) and at one moment, I said, “Jordan, let’s take a photo.” As usual, she agreed. I love this kid. She’s fun.

Nothing intoxicates me more than she—she with the curly locks and the wicked grin and the sassy comebacks. Nothing makes me more giddy than the flip of her fingers dismissing air and poor logic with irreverence and a hint of pregnant contempt. Nothing endears me more than the intensity of her gaze— the eyes that will not settle for less than truth; the impatient pools of thought that are filled with abundant interest.

Jordan and I ventured around our block at twilight. Our mission: take pictures of ordinary things and find life in them. She would take pictures seated in the wheelchair, and I’d stand. We’d look for the differences in our point of view. Here are the results of our photographic journey together. Jordan’s is on the left, mine on the right. Mine on the left, Jordan’s (which I think is stunning) on the right

We’ve been enjoying a restful Thanksgiving weekend in Palm Springs with our extended family. Jordan finally got to the pool and soaked up some sun. I shot photos of her with her brother and her two cousins on Friday. Chemo is going well. The first cycle is nearly done. Then she gets a week off before going again. She has good days and bad days, but most of the time she’s pretty perky.