<div style="font-size:10pt;font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;color:black;"><p class="yiv9947222896msonormal" style="margin: 0in; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b><u><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">This ;piece
describes how Illness actually 
nourishes  yu <o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p>

<p class="yiv9947222896msonormal" style="margin: 0in; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b><u><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">by  cushioning you in a  cocoon of steadiness. <o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p>

<p class="yiv9947222896msonormal" style="margin: 0in; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b><u><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">It reminds
me of how doctors put a person in a state of coma  <o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p>

<p class="yiv9947222896msonormal" style="margin: 0in; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b><u><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">to give the
body and brain a space  in which to
heal.  <o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p>

<p class="yiv9947222896msonormal" style="margin: 0in; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b><u><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Entrophy
seems to be a state of steadiness  which
defines this state of being. <o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p>

<p class="yiv9947222896msonormal" style="margin: 0in; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b><u><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">It workds
in concert with the illness <o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p>

<p class="yiv9947222896msonormal" style="margin: 0in; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b><u><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">to support
a state of idelness. <o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p>

<p class="yiv9947222896msonormal" style="margin: 0in; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b><u><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Echnically,entrophy  may not be the best word, <o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p>

<p class="yiv9947222896msonormal" style="margin: 0in; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b><u><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">but it
works here.  <o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p>

<p class="yiv9947222896msonormal" style="margin: 0in; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b><u><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">You have
used an amazingly small amount of words <o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p>

<p class="yiv9947222896msonormal" style="margin: 0in; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b><u><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">to describe
something very difficult to explain. <o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p>

<p class="yiv9947222896msonormal" style="margin: 0in; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b><u><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Great job. <o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p>

<p class="yiv9947222896msonormal" style="margin: 0in; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>

<p class="yiv9947222896msonormal" style="margin: 0in; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The
idleness of illness<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="yiv9947222896msonormal" style="margin: 0in; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">envelopes
my aging body,<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="yiv9947222896msonormal" style="margin: 0in; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">cushioning
its frailty<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="yiv9947222896msonormal" style="margin: 0in; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">in sweet
oblivion.<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="yiv9947222896msonormal" style="margin: 0in; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The world’s
persistent entropy<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="yiv9947222896msonormal" style="margin: 0in; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">stops
mid-spin and quiets<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="yiv9947222896msonormal" style="margin: 0in; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">to match my
slow and steady breathing.<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="yiv9947222896msonormal" style="margin: 0in; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> -------<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b><u><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Wow! <o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p>

<b><u><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><br clear="all" style="mso-special-character:line-break;page-break-before:always">
</span></u></b>

<p class="MsoNormal"><b><u><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></u></b></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b><u><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">You nailed every issue.  <o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b><u><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">I absolutely, positively agree with every  iota of opinion and related emotion <o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b><u><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">you have expressed. <o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b><u><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The issues facing the modern kid growing up in
an unstable,changing world, <o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b><u><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">does not leave much room for good advice.  <o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b><u><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">What’s good is bad and what’s bad is good. <o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b><u><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">It’s an on the other hand world. <o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b><u><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">There is nothing I can say to improve your
writing stylke.  <o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Martia sub for July 22<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">A break from my book – sensitive subject matter<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 21pt; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">The Fatalists</span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 21pt; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">777 words</span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 21pt; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 21pt; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 21pt; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">As a single mother of two blond blue-eyed girls
in their teens, I wasn’t naïve about their emerging sexuality. Having forsaken
my own virginity at age 16, I knew the allure of a boy’s kisses. Fortunately,
back in the 1970s, I was able to obtain the birth control pill without my
parents’ consent. In the 1980s, following a sexual assault, I chose to have an
abortion at a compassionate Planned Parenthood clinic. Ultimately, I postponed
motherhood until my late 30s.</span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 21pt; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 21pt; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Still, motherhood wasn’t easy. After my divorce,
I struggled without child support to pay for my girls’ back-to-school clothes,
orthodontia, and special needs. In the 1990s, being proactive, I took my
adolescent daughters to the doctor for advice on birth control before it was
too late to consider. I feared the burdens an unplanned pregnancy could create
for not only them, but me. In my 50s at that time, I had no desire to raise my
grandchildren.</span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 21pt; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 21pt; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Despite my cautions and precautions, my older
daughter conceived her first child out of wedlock, nearly a child herself, I
thought, at age 20. She claimed only one or two missed pills had resulted in
her pregnancy. Her university plans were derailed. Her boyfriend deserted. Her
frantic mother encouraged abortion; not for the first time, my advice was
ignored. I believe it is a woman’s right to choose, and the choice was my
daughter’s that time, not mind.</span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 21pt; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 21pt; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Do I regret my advice? It’s complicated. Today,
my 10-year-old grandson is one of the singular lights in my life. I am his
Nana, not Mom, and his mother is a Super Mom. That’s not to say that my
daughter hasn’t struggled financially, physically, and emotionally; raising a
child while trying to advance her career, sacrificing her social life, and
finding precious time to take care of herself. She is exhausted, lives pay
check to pay check, and neglects her own mental and physical well-being.</span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 21pt; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 21pt; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Meanwhile, I steered my younger daughter,
attention deficit, away from the birth control pill - lest she forget to take
one or two like her sister. Instead, we opted for the depo shot and implants
which protected her for months, even years, at a time. She was “free” to
explore her relationships without the risk of conception. However…her first
boyfriend, a dad himself as a teen, left her with the lifetime legacy of
herpes. Her second beau kicked her out of his trailer, literally, in
below-freezing temperatures one December night. Her third boyfriend struggled
with insecurity and anxiety. My daughter wore the pants in their relationship.
When it crumbled, she withdrew from the world of heterosexual romance and found
love online with another woman who, like her, was coping with the ravages of an
STD and prior abusive relationships. They are happy and compatible. If destiny
provides an opportunity, they hope to be parents one day. Despite their
nurturing desires, I worry they will struggle as mothers often do. Coping with
a global pandemic, inflationary prices, and a warming world on the brink of
WWIII, they often depend on me to help cover the rising cost of groceries,
transportation, and extraordinary medical expenses. Nearing 70, my resources
are fixed and dwindling.</span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 21pt; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 21pt; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Regardless of my well-intended attempts to
protect my daughters, The Fates played a more powerful role. For centuries,
three ancient goddesses known as The Fates have been credited (or blamed) for
weaving the threads of destiny. Clotho, the spinner; Lachesis, the allotter;
and Atropos who cuts the threads, were believed to influence birth and death –
not mothers or birth control devices, not doctors or courts or Congress.</span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 21pt; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 21pt; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Today, a woman’s right to manage contraception
and reproduction is manipulated by three old men I call The Fatalists – Trump,
the liar; McConnell, the minimizer; and Alito, the dismantler. Other like
fatalists in the not-so-distant past denied a woman’s right to vote, own
property, or seek a divorce, even under circumstances of domestic abuse. The
fate of women and children in the 21</span>^{<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">st</span>}<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> Century has never
been more uncertain.</span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 21pt; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 21pt; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">If The Fatalists can criminalize birth control
and abortion, they should also submit deadbeat Dads to castration. If women are
forced to carry every pregnancy to term, they shouldn’t be marginalized,
stigmatized, or driven into unemployment and poverty as a result; nor should children
suffer from neglect, abandonment, hunger, or homelessness. It is estimated that
more than 1.6 million children in America are homeless today. Nearly half of
those children are under age six. Perhaps The Fatalists who claim to cherish
women and children should be taxed at a higher rate to provide impacted
families with food, shelter, and clothing, along with access to health care,
day care, and education.</span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>

<div style="border-top: none; border-right: none; border-left: none; border-image: initial; border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; padding: 0in 0in 1pt; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 21pt; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; border: none; padding: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>

</div>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b><u><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">This piece is interesting, <o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p>

<b><u><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><br clear="all" style="mso-special-character:line-break;page-break-before:always">
</span></u></b>

<p class="MsoNormal"><b><u><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></u></b></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b><u><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">informative, <o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p>

<b><u><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><br clear="all" style="mso-special-character:line-break;page-break-before:always">
</span></u></b>

<p class="MsoNormal"><b><u><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></u></b></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b><u><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">well written, amusing, <o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p>

<b><u><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><br clear="all" style="mso-special-character:line-break;page-break-before:always">
</span></u></b>

<p class="MsoNormal"><b><u><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></u></b></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b><u><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">and it gives a profile of yur new dog in a very
companionable way. <o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b><u><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">It also gives some of your own background in an
engaging manner. <o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b><u><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">In a 
short space you have accomplished a lot. <o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p>

<b><u><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><br clear="all" style="mso-special-character:line-break;page-break-before:always">
</span></u></b>

<p class="MsoNormal"><b><u><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></u></b></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b><u><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Great job.<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Deana sub for July 22<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Leaving On a Jet Plane<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">By DeAnna Quietwater Noriega<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Ten times I have gone to the airport to fly to
Morristown New Jersey to meet someone to share my life journey. Sometimes I
have been grieving the loss of a dear friend. At other times I went knowing
that I was entering a new adventure with excitement and eager anticipation. I
never knew who I would meet or whether my new friend would be exactly who I
needed in my life.<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Training with a guide dog requires faith in
oneself and determination to begin again with a dog who doesn’t know me or
particularly want too be my partner. Like learning to dance with a stranger, I
have to adjust how I move to synchronize my steps to my partner.  I have
to pay attention to subtle clues as to how I can build the rapport to become a
teammate. What character traits make this dog unique in their approach to
navigating along crowded streets filled with traffic, other pedestrians, sidewalk
furniture, broken pavement and obstacles in our path.<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Each time I have made this journey, I have
learned new techniques to achieve the desired outcome of forging the necessary
bonds to achieve the synergy that is a well-functioning team.<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Does my new dog need a cheerleader to support
his timidity and give him confidence? Does this dog need to be handled firmly
in order to establish that I am the one in charge? Does she have tendencies
that will need to be curbed so as not to become a problem in future? For example,
does she sniff too much, distract from working to engage with other dogs,
scavenge or want to chase after scampering wildlife? How does my new dog
indicate the things he sees? Time is short and we race through new challenges
and experiences designed to prepare us to be on our own.<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">This time, my new friend bounded across my room
to place both front paws in my lap. He wagged joyfully and tried to lick my
face. He is a two-year-old Labrador Retriever the color of a toasted
marshmallow. He has red-gold ears and muzzle which accent his amber eyes. He is
64 pounds of puppy enthusiasm, standing 22 inches at the shoulder. His name is
Flynn.<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Flynn’s exuberance seems to say: “Oh goody, I
got a lady! Please love me and take me away from this gruff trainer!” I learn
that he was raised by an older woman who was also raising an eight-month-old
German Shepherd and had a pet cat. He was born in February, just before the
closure of the school because of covid. His trainer was a young woman who had
accepted a work-from-home position, since she had a new baby. His puppy-raiser
sent along a stuffed duck with a squeaker inside. She said he liked to sleep
with it.<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">One of the things I loved was his unique way of
expressing his enjoyment when he thought he was doing a good job. His tail was
carried in a curve over his back. He wagged it when he was sure he was making
the best choice in avoiding broken sidewalks. The tip of that tail whisked
against the underside of my forearm like butterfly kisses. He exhibited confidence
combined with cautiousness, moving smoothly from one edge of the sidewalk to
the other to ensure that I had the smoothest section available to walk upon. If
Flynn works the average number of years in-harness, I will be in my eighties
and will be able to request that a dog be brought to me for a home placement.
Then again, he might be the last dog that I partner with in this dance of life.<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<div style="border-top: none; border-right: none; border-left: none; border-image: initial; border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; padding: 0in 0in 1pt; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; border: none; padding: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>

</div>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b><u><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">There wasn’t much of a Segway for Misty to make
the trip to her house. <o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b><u><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">A few sentences would be helpful. <o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b><u><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Misty is instructed to put the notebook down
when she wants to turn off the magic. <o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b><u><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">In stead, she puts it  in her pocket. <o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b><u><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">That doesn’t seem t do it <o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b><u><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">because she is able to follow the fairy to her
house. <o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b><u><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Assumably by magic. <o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b><u><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">In describing the gifts at the Christmas tree, I
didn’t understand what was in the shoe box. <o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b><u><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></u></b></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b><u><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Can you explain? 
<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b><u><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">For the most part this is an effective piece. <o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b><u><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">It achieves the emotional feelings  that I think you intend <o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b><u><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">to concerning the sadness and hopelessness of
the situation.  <o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b><u><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">I’m wondering why there can’t be a compromise. <o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b><u><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Does it have to be either or. <o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b><u><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">There must be more to this story. <o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Cleora sub for July 22<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">1209 words<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">chapter 7<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">“Sniff. I don’t know how,” said Misty. “It is
impossible. My parents are divorcing, and they don’t want me and my sister.
And, thanks to you, I can’t be seen or heard. How am I going to live my life as
a ghost?”<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">“What would make it a Happy Christmas for you?”
asked Ginger.<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">“Are you listening to me? Nobody can see or hear
me. What difference does it make what I do now. My life is over.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">“Put the notepad down when you want to be
normal. That will turn off the magic. Now, Let’s get you back home.” Misty
didn’t move. “ Come on, now. Follow me.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Misty watched Ginger moving away for several
seconds. Finally, reluctantly, she rose, put the notebook in her jacket pocket,
and followed the faery.<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">At Misty’s house, Ginger hovered beside the
front door. “Like I said, when you want to be seen and heard like normal, put
the pad down. If you need the magic again, pick it up.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Misty paused by the door, looking at Ginger.
“Thank you,” she said. She wanted to say more, but couldn’t think of anything.<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">“Goodbye,” said Ginger. “Good, luck.” There was
a flash, and the space formerly occupied by the nymph was empty.<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Misty opened the door and stepped into the entry
way. Straight ahead was their Christmas tree with its twinkling mini Christmas
lights and presents underneath. To the left, Her Mom, Dad, and Connie were
sitting around the table. Her Dad saw her come in, and motioned toward an empty
chair. “Come join us,” he said.<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Misty slipped her jacket off and hung it on the
coat rack by the door. She reached in the pocket and felt the notebook. ‘Is
that good enough?’ she wondered. As a test, she placed her finger on her nose
and thought about being in the kitchen. Nothing happened. Breathing a sigh of
relief she joined the others.<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">“You must be hungry,” said her mother.<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Misty nodded.<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Her mother got a box from the freezer, and held
it up for Misty to see. “Turkey pot pie okay?”<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Misty nodded.<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Her mother removed the pie from the box, popped
it into the microwave, set the timer, and returned to her chair.<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">“I know you’re planning to ship us off to
Granma,” said Misty.<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Her parents looked at each other.<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">“I’m sorry,” said John. “You’re mother and I
didn’t want this Christmas to be ruined for you. We were planning to wait until
after New Years to tell you. But, since you know, we can talk about it now if
you want.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The microwave dinged, and Misty got up. “I’ll
get it Mom,” she said. She took a spoon from the silver ware drawer, got her
pie, and sat down. She broke the crust with the spoon and started mixing the
crust with the filling.<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">“Why don’t you want us?” said Connie.<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">“Oh, sweetheart, it’s not that. It has never
been that. We both love the two of you very much. That’s why we want your
Grandmother Conner to take you. Then both of us can visit you any time without
putting the two of you in the middle.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">“I heard you talking to Grandma Parker,” said
Connie.<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">“Um, yes,” said John. “We, that is, I talked to
Granddad Parker. We thought about my parents first, but when I called we found
out Granddad Parker has been diagnosed with a serious health condition…”<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">“Oh, great!” interrupted Connie, “This terrible
Christmas just gets better and better.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Their father stared at his empty plate.<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">“Why don’t you want us?” repeated Misty. “Is it
because we fight all the time? I know I need to be more patient with Connie. “<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">“I know what sets Misty off. I’ll stop. We’ll
learn to get along. I promise. Just please don’t send us away.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">“I’m sorry, sweetheart. It’s not either of you.
Both of you are great. All siblings fight. That is just part of growing up,”
said Alice.<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">“Your mother wants to go back to school,” said
John. “She doesn’t feel we are enough for her.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Alice glared at John. “That’s not true, and you
know it.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">“Really? Then how about you explain it to all of
us why you feel finishing your degree, and getting a job is more important than
your family.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">“It’s not more important. It’s just that Misty
will be going off to college next year, and it won’t be that long before Connie
goes off on her own as well, and all I have to show for my life is washing
dishes, cleaning house, cooking, shopping, and a thousand other meaningless
chores. I could have had a career. I could have been somebody. All my
professors said I had remarkable talent. Instead, I have wasted the last twenty
years of my life with meaningless drudgery.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">“It hasn’t been meaningless,” said John. “We
have two beautiful girls.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">“Right. Two girls that are almost grown and will
be leaving. Then what do I have? Nothing.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">John opened his mouth like he was going to say
something about that remark, but closed it without saying anything.<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Misty said it for him. “So, you’re saying Dad
isn’t anything either?”<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">No one said anything for several minutes.
Finally, John pushed his chair back and got up. “It’s late, what do you say we
call it a night? Grandmother Conner will be here tomorrow. After Christmas, we
can sit down together and talk it all out.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">“Um,” said Connie, “Grandmother Conner doesn’t
believe in exchanging gifts at Christmas. Do we want to go ahead and have our
tree now?”<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Misty, apparently intent on her dinner, smiled
slightly. She knew the real reason was probably because her sister wanted to
get started on the model airplane kit she was sure was under the tree.
Swallowing her mouthful of food, Misty said, “That might be a good idea.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">“I’m tired,” said John. “It’s been a long day.
We can do it early in the morning before Grandmother Conner gets here.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Connie helped Alice clear the table and put the
dishes in the sink before they both headed down the hall. Misty reached the
hall in time to see her father head down and slump shouldered, come out of the
bathroom and go down the hall into the guestroom instead of their parents’
bedroom. She felt a sad, sinking feeling. This was really happening. Straight
ahead was their tree. the cheerful twinkling lights and gayly wrapped presents
underneath struck her as out of place. There was a small flat package with a
computer game, the box with the ventage model airplane, and a book on writing
fiction for Connie. A shoe box containing a wallet with a scan shield from her
& Connie, and <o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">whatever her Mom got for their Dad. A big box
that probably came from a department store that might contain a new ski jacket,
and two other packages she had no clue what might be had her name on them.<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The whole thing made her sad. She no longer
cared what was there. She wished she could just erase Christmas and skip
straight to New Years. ‘Is something like this why Grandmother Conner doesn’t
like to exchange gifts?’ she wondered.<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">_______________________________________________</span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><br>
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br>
<!--[endif]--></span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="yiv9947222896msonormal" style="margin: 0in; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">                                                                                     
By Sally Rosenthal<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="yiv9947222896msonormal" style="margin: 0in; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="yiv9947222896msonormal" style="margin: 0in; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="yiv9947222896msonormal" style="margin: 0in; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p><br><br><p class="MsoNormal"> </p> 

<p class="MsoNormal">Leonard I. Tuchyner, Author</p> 

<p class="MsoNormal"><a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://www.dldbooks.com/tuchyner/">https://www.dldbooks.com/tuchyner/</a></p> 

<p class="MsoNormal">  </p> 

<p class="MsoNormal"><u><span style="text-decoration:none;"> </span></u></p><br></div>