Just watched this and wept. My brother-in-law Don had cerebral palsy and I worked, briefly, at l’Arche, the community for adults with disabilities, so this reality is one I know. But his final message to those kids about love – the most important lesson in the world. 



I always have a hard time recovering from Christmas, the stress and chaos and togetherness – but this year, it may take a little longer. I went to a class at the Y today and my friends kept asking, How was your Christmas? Well, I had an unusual answer. Wickedly, I thought of the joke, So apart from that, Mrs. Lincoln, how did you enjoy the play?


People are incredibly kind – thoughtful, warm, generous. Email from around the world, as friends tell friends. It’s overwhelming. The human family. My dear friend Ken said, “How wonderful that you were enveloped yesterday with love.” And then he said, “I like that word – enveloped.” So do I, Ken. So do I. 


I’m alone now – Anna and the baby left last night, Sam left this afternoon, even my tenant Carol is out. It is blessedly silent. I’ve cancelled the flights Anna and I were going to take tomorrow to Ottawa, to visit Mum, and rebooked to go Saturday, to spend time with Do, who has been hit hard today. She has looked after my mother for 89 years and now has no job to do. She said, “When you come, we won’t be maudlin, we won’t sit reminiscing.” But I know we will.


My mother was a beautiful marvellous woman and she was a difficult woman too. But today is just about loss.