Hi Nonni also! He is one super duper brother, who calls several times a week and is always ready with an open ear. Dad LOVES to hear from Nonni, and Nonni is so good about talking and listening, even when the listening is waiting carefully for Dad to form his thoughts.

I am grateful we have this means to communicate with those of you, like Nonni, who live so far away but feel so much. Sometimes we don’t know what to say, and sometimes we say too little or too much. But so what?

I even live here and see Dad and Mom just about every day. Yet I logged on this morning eager to read if Dad had gotten to sauna. Aww, no word. When I was on the Ridge, I read the log–we’re keeping a log for Dad just as we kept one for Mom for over a decade–and saw that YES! Dad had schmoozed at sauna. Heather and Jose and Dave (if I remember correctly) helped him move from the new level down to the old part of the house and visit for almost an hour.

Dad’s sleeping habits had changed over the last few years and he often went to bed before sauna started. I think probably sauna continued on much as it has for decades, but he wasn’t there so much. My hope is that people still found answers for why their car was acting up or still argued about any number of political issues….and went home as tolerant of others as they came, and perhaps understanding a bit more of this issue or that.

In many ways I would like to say that a lot of people who were part of the sauna family and otherwise, are family: but that can never be true. There are seven of us bound by blood and experience sharing an amazing bond.

My delight is in having a family tolerant (or not, at times) of sauna, of the diversity of individuals…and learning how interconnected we are by masses of different things. Some people seemed most interested in getting clean in prep for the work week. Others needed to fill their 5 gallon jugs of water. Big talkers loved the platform. Listeners could sit in the steam and soak it all in. Whatever.

Me, I love Nonni and my immediate family the most. We were there the rest of the week. Thank you Nonni for checking with us on line and by phone, because I know you’re there in your heart all week long.

Love, Chena