I just got off the phone with mother for an update on dad’s progress. She talked with me between spoonfulls of soup. My brother Perry had called a few minutes ago. She was quite pleased with the day and what was happening. Today the therapist set the walker aside and dad had do a lot of walking with no assistance (other than a belt tightly held by the therapist in case dad lost his balance). I was sure that would come some day but this is earlier than I had expected. It’s a very nice piece of news. He is really looking forward to going home!

The cold weather continues to persist although the high temperatures have finally gotten into the high teens and we’ll possibly get into the mid 20’s tomorrow. My car barely starts putting out heat by the time I get to the house after leaving work. Like my brother, I’ll try very hard not to complain about the heat this summer. I like air conditioning better than running the furnace.

Traci would have been thirty-three this past Monday. Trevor would now be thirty-five. It’s been six years since Trevor was killed in that automobile accident. Both events seem like yesterday. The memory of the emergency drive to the hospital in Duesseldorf-Heerdt in the middle of the night with no idea where the hospital was located still makes my heart pound. The drive from San Jose to the San Francisco airport followed by the flight to Salt Lake City is burned in my brain as well. All of those people in the airport and on the airplane going about their happy, unconcerned lives was such paradox to me that it seemed I was in a different world from everyone else and that I couldn’t relate to their world. I’ll not write more since it’s just too hard. I don’t think it will ever, ever be easy. It just hurts.

Nina is at the womens prison tonight teaching them about journals and keeping memories. She’s been helping a couple of girls who have been released on probation to get into an apartment, get a minimum amount of furniture (such as a bed!), some food in the apartment, and a bus pass so they can get around town and find a job. One of the women remarked that for her whole life she has lived with people on drugs and alcohol. She’s never been in any other circumstance until now. This is her second time in prison and out on parole. The first time she got out, she went home and as she walked in the house, a family member handed her a hit of meth and welcomed her home. This time she’s not told anyone in her family that she’s out nor where she is. She wants to somehow break that chain and do something different with her life. I sure hope that it can happen. She deserves a chance at a real life rather than the illusion of life that she has been in before. It will be good for her to leave that world and join our world.

Happy birthday, Traci. I’m looking forward to getting to know you. Trevor, know that we love and miss you. I’m looking forward to getting to know you once again. We’ve got a lot to talk about.