Dear Kristie...how lovely to hear from you! It's good to be back on Medium - I'm still recovering from that nasty injury 11 months ago but am in much better shape now. I'm still trying to catch up with people. Funny but you crossed my mind a day or two ago and here you are - I meant to check out your profile and see what you've been up to, so I'm glad you dropped in.

Thank you so much for popping in and reading this difficult piece. It wasn't cathartic; I'm well past needing that but I appreciate your kind concern.

Yes, he did have a beautiful smile when he was a little boy. And a big belly laugh to go with it, even though things were already "off" in some way that his dad and I couldn't quite pinpoint.

I am deeply grateful to you for your kind comments, Kristie, about me and about my writing. Thank you so much!! Hugs back to you! 💜💜💜