"The Best of the Best"That's how my Mom described Christmas 2008 - her last Christmas. We had our whole family together for the first time in years, celebrating togetherness in moments like this one:And it was, you know. The best of the best.Which left me rather nervous about this year. This first Christmas without my mom. No more huge family gatherings: I was back with my family in Calgary, my Dad was visiting my baby sister and her family in England, and Jen was off to the Dominican Republic with her family and some friends. And Mom; well, Mom would be... More »

A few months ago, I wrote a post about my desire to help out a dear friend whose husband was fighting brain cancer. On Wednesday, I attended a prayer service in his memory. I went to the service to support my friend, but also to say goodbye on my own account. You see, over the five short years I've been friends with their family, I had come to like, admire and respect my friend's husband. I like to think we'd even begun to become friends on our own account. We'd sat and cheered on our children's soccer games, chatting about literature,... More »