Dear Ravi,
Today is a bittersweet day for mom and daddy. This morning we early voted at our local polling place. I wish that you were here to vote with us. When we voted in 2020 it was all by mail, due to Covid. Usually, I like to go in and vote on Election Day, but this year we are too nervous. Helping a friend send out 500 postcards to voters in Texas was not enough to alleviate our anxiety. We needed to DO something. So, we early voted. The entire parking lot was full, and the line was long but moved briskly. I actually got a bit teary casting my vote this year. There is so much at stake for our democracy. Please pray for a beautiful blue wave.
As I said, today was bittersweet. I am certain that you remember Catherine and Anastasia, our 2 hedgehogs. They loved to hang out on your bed or burrow in your beanbag chair. Anastasia passed away about a year ago. Over the last few months, Catherine has slowed down. She still loved her food and her wheel and her snuggle snack, but she had less energy and had lost some weight. In the past month she wanted to snuggle more with me and explore less. The last week she had been very snuggly and sleepy almost around the clock. I kept her under my shirt or tucked in a blanket next to me in my favorite chair where I read and write. Last night, tucked under my arm, she quietly slipped away. There was not drama, or pain, she simply left me to go join you. I only realized that she was gone when I noticed that she had stopped breathing. Daddy and I buried her this afternoon in the back yard, facing your North Star Cherry Tree. I miss her greatly. I still keep looking in her habitat, expecting to see her. I miss hearing her on her wheel while I was sleeping. Since I do my writing at very odd hours, she was always happy to get up and join me. It’s funny how such a little creature could wrap my heart around her paw. I hope that she is running free in heaven, burrowing in fleece blankets and digging for bugs. I hope that she is happy with you.
So, that has been the last 24 hours. The house is quieter tonight. I am teaching Youth Formation on Sunday and looking forward to our Gather ministry in early November. Daddy and I start tutoring elementary school students next week. We want to be a bright part of a student’s day, and I hope that they all learn to love reading. I miss you more than words can describe. I am still working on finding an agent for your book. Your story will continue as long as I have readers. Love you to the moon and back. Mom.
