The world is less funny now. It's less bright. A part of my childhood, a part of who I am, died today. Dominick "Dom" DeLuise died today. It really hit me hard. There have been other deaths of influences that have effected me, but this really hit me.

DeLuise had been battling cancer. One of my favorite movies is Mel Brooks' "The Twelve Chairs" where DeLuise plays a priest who discovers a wealth of jewels sewn into a chair. His doesn't star in the film... but he makes the film.

DeLuise had been battling cancer. One of the earliest movies to affect me emotionally, other than "The Fox & The Hound" was "Fatso". It was always funny to me that you'd find "Fatso" in almost every video store under comedy. It's a gut wrenching story of a man dealing with his eating disorder. In many ways it feels like my story. If I had ever "made it" in Hollywood, I had planned to star in a re-make. (I know, big dreams. I seem to be saying good-bye to a lot of my dreams lately.)

DeLuise had been battling cancer. As Dom dies, so does another part of me. This past weekend I re-connected with quite a few old friends. It felt like I was saying good-bye. It's as close as I'll come to a high-school reunion. Maybe it's as close as I want to come. It was good. It was filled with joy. It was overwhelming.

"Jamison had been battling cancer." I wonder if that's what my obituary will eventually say. I hope not. I hope, if they run an obituary it says something more like this,

Jamison had been swept up in a wave of emotion and joy as he rode out his cancer diagnosis. Rather than "battle" the disease, he chose to enjoy the time he had. He took the chemotherapy in order to add to the time left with his amazing wife. He took the weekly infusion of drugs to spend time with the amazing staff at Willamette Valley Cancer Institute and to laugh and share bad jokes. He didn't fight anything... he just laughed a lot and tried to make others smile and realize how important it was to know that God was in charge.

That's what I hope it says. It won't. But maybe saying it now makes it a little true. A little more true anyway.

DeLuise had been battling cancer. Aaron Jamison is currently working on more comedy material and few songs while battling nothing.

Oh... the website is up if you want to buy a "cancer related" t-shirt. (We can also make custom t-shirts for the same price of just about anything you want.) Check it out: