Dear Friends, I’ve been thinking of you. Yes, indeedy. I have. I’m wondering if this time of year makes you feel joyous and giddy or if it makes you feel as if you have been punched in the throat. I know Christmas has the uncanny ability to do both. Around these parts we’ve had an episode with a rabid raccoon. We’ve been battling our disobedient tree which refuses to stand. We can’t stop making three ingredient sugar cookies, and we stand determined to wring every minute out

We went to visit family this weekend. Camping on Labor Day weekend with the Virginia cousins has become an annual tradition, but instead of camping, this year our travel held a different purpose. My husband’s uncle is dying, and it was time to say goodbye. The doctors called. They said so. Come now. This is it. Our family of four packed up the car expecting solemn conversations around a sick man, but instead, we discovered a man embracing death, the same way he lived life: wi