Notes to Self

I was dressed in my elf suit on 2022’s cold Pennsylvania Christmas night. The house was full of happy guests enjoying a roaring hearth, carols spinning on the turntable, and a kitchen island looking very much like a sugar paradise. Laughter, banter, candles, and a beautiful reading of the Luke 2 story made for a Hallmark special.  Wonderful! I glanced downhill and then spotted one of the Angus cows in my pasture in apparent distress....

In the early hours of Saturday, April 2, 2022, I was awakened by a phone call. A chill surged through me when I saw the name "Brittany" (my daughter-in-law) on the glaring screen.I took a breath and answered. The strained voice on the other end said, "Will fell and is headed for brain surgery."Ten hours away, the world became a sudden blur. My son? Headed for brain surgery? My wife and I threw our things in the car and roared up a lonely North...