A New Olde Cape Cod Part I

"This will be like old times only totally different," Tom said to me as we were packing for our long weekend in Falmouth. We have a long history with Falmouth both before kids and with kids. This weekend marks a new chapter of Team McManus after kids. Next Saturday our daughter moves into her own apartment. This weekend has been a time of nostalgia, magic and wonder for us.

Before we left for the Cape, I asked Tom if we could get the page numbers on my manuscript for Journey Well. I am eager to get a proof and see what changes might need to be made before we go to press. We uploaded the manuscript and it's the first time that we were able to nail the formatting and layout on the first try. The proof will arrive next Wednesday and we get out the red pen to ensure a wonderful finished product before going to press.

As we drove by the rotary for the National Cemetery at Bourne, Tom said, "Hi Herb. Hi Jack and Danny." I chimed in "Hi Helen's parents." Herb was a family friend who was a volunteer I supervised at the VA. Jack and Danny, Tom's uncles who are buried at Bourne.

When we arrived on Friday we went to Mary Ellen's, our go to place across from the Falmouth Inn, for brunch. The waitress asked if Tom wanted home fries. After he said "No. You can keep them." She said, "Gone." She said it with the same inflection as our friend Herb. We both gasped and told the waitress how Herb would have this expression with a hand gesture "Gone" and used the same inflection that she used. We felt Herb's presence blessing our Falmouth vacation. When we went for our swim at the hotel pool, we found a 1984 penny; the year that I received my Masters in Social Work from Boston College.

We drove by the beach and captured the beauty of Olde Cape Cod.



The energy at the Expo was electric.



I won a t-shirt in a Facebook contest on the Cape Cod Marathon Facebook page.



It's tradition for us to buy something from Janji if they are at a race Expo.



We asked what time Landucci's, the restaurant at the Falmouth Inn, opened for dinner where we went for our pre-race dinner when Tom ran in 2011. "They moved to Cotuit about a month ago," the staff person at the Falmouth Inn told us. He gave us some alternative places to eat. We had loved Landucci's and were disappointed that we would have had to drive for about 25 minutes each way to go to their new restaurant. We opted to eat at La Cucina Sul Mare.



The hostess, upon seeing my L Street Jacket, said she is so excited that she is going to move to South Boston in January. She is finishing up her doctorate in physical therapy. She also told us that she is running Boston as a charity runner and was excited but very nervous. I told her my story and she said she had to give me a hug and was now inspired to get out there and train for Boston.

We had wonderful food and impeccable service. There is always something better waiting when we let go of clinging to what is comfortable and familiar.

We came back to the hotel to get a good night's sleep. 5:00 am would come soon enough.....


Knowing the challenges first hand of living with a neuromuscular condition, on Thanksgiving, I will be running the Boston Volvo 5K Village Road Race to raise money for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society New England Chapter. When we unlock the key to one neuromuscular condition, we can unlock the door to many. You can donate to my run on my fund raising page.

The first 7 years of my healing odyssey are chronicled in Coming Home: A Memoir of Healing, Hope and Possibility available on Amazon. I donate 50% of royalty payments to The One Fund Boston to help survivors and their families who were affected by the tragic events of 4/15/13.



I'm working on my 2nd book, "Journey Well," due out later this year: