One year ago

It was a year ago today that my sister Jennifer gave birth to my nephew Everett. Sadly, he didn’t make it into this world alive.

Though the emotional toll it’s taken on my family and most of all, Jenn, has been rough, it’s inspiring to see how she’s handled the speed bump that plopped down into the middle of her life’s path. Jenn and I have always gotten along well, despite being very different people, I’ve always admired her, but I never knew how tough she could be. The way she and her husband, Ryan, have handled sharing their loss with friends and family is admirable. The way they’ve communicated to their son and daughter is just incredible. Jenn has never shied away from talking about what happened to her and as a result, Ben and Jillian, who are just five and three years old, talk about their brother often and fondly. Today, they celebrated Everett’s first “Angel Day” with cupcakes and by writing letters to him in heaven. What better way to celebrate a special life that’s impacted so many people, even though we’ve never met him?

I’ll be thinking about the Martins all day today and hope you will too.

Happy Halloween!

I think many East Coasters are having the exact same reaction as Nick this morning: “Oh yeah, it’s Halloween.”

It’s hard to get back in the Halloween spirit after the intensity of the last few days, but I think these pictures of my niece and nephew in Oshawa will help.

Feel better? Good.

Reasons To Write Real Letters

A big reason to write and mail real letters is to keep in touch and share photos with your little niece and nephew in Canada. If you’re lucky like me, you’ll get a video back.