The transition from 2024 into 2025 has not gone as smoothly as I’d hoped. Right before Christmas I contracted E. coli poisoning. I’m not kidding when I say it was the sickest I’ve ever been. It took a solid two weeks to recover during which I missed most of the festive family events. This hit me pretty hard, as it was the last Christmas my son will spend with us before he heads off into adulthood and his chosen career (which may keep him from making it home next year). In the course of dealing with all of that, news hit that a family member was about to pass. They have since sailed into the West and the funeral is set for this weekend.

To cope, I’ve been absent on social media and this blog, choosing instead to spend time with family. However, during my social silence, I received several kind messages from folks asking about my absence, so I felt a blog post was in order to dispel any concerns. While I am grieving for the recent loss of a loved one, I am alive and well and will resume writing soon. A huge heart-felt thank you to everyone who sent me messages! They meant more to me than words can ever express.