Jess and Mark, I am loving reading this blog every morning, despite it making me late to work three days in a row. I wasn't surprised to see that your friends are all funny, clever, beautiful and great writers--who else would you be hanging out with? But it makes for great morning reading, and I've learned some things from you all. For example, we northern Vermonters hadn't heard that turtle necks were out, but I was glad to see that they've made a come back. Spontaneous laughter can bring your heart rate down from 87 to 65? Wow. And then I learned that my daughter-in-law is secretly a ninja ! And that Jess and her friends like to blow stuff up. And who knew that when guys check into the hospital they are given a pair of sexy little mesh underwear to wear? So thanks to your friends for all that new information, and also for putting all of our shared thoughts into words, so beautifully. I liked reading, Jess, that your own particular way of doing things is "a mix of attitude and grace", and yes, we know who is actually the boss here, even when it doesn't always look that way.

We are all reeling, feeling terribly sad, concerned, and reminded daily of what's really important in our lives, It sucks that things are backwards and upside down here; It's we aging parental units who are supposed to be going through this stuff, not the other way around. So here you are, Jess, teaching us how to do it. Your amazing spirit- how you fight and how you draw a big circle of love around you. That's how you do it.

I've been putting a care package together the past two days, therapy for me. I wish I weren't so far away. I'd like to be at 3839 NW Gordon Street this morning, baking bread and making soup. But as I pound and knead and chop on a frosty day in Vermont I am thinking of you, sending all kinds of love, and visualizing health and happiness on the other side of this.

Anne