Intimacy: a close, familiar, and usually affectionate or loving personal relationship with another person or group.

I arrived at my cousin’s house in Bristol, TN a couple of hours before dinner.

I stayed in the Ramada Inn in Statesville, North Carolina last night. I tried the old “Can you meet this price on the Internet?” routine to no avail. The front desk clerk said, “Buy it on the internet, then.” So, I sat in the car in front of the hotel, purchased the room for $63 and went back in to check in. Just off the interstate, recently remodelled, and a hot buffet breakfast that was quite good. What’s not to love?

I am thrilled to report your prayers are doing the job! My cousin’s mesothelioma is “stable to improved” on the new experimental drug they’re using. He looks great, has more energy, and is happy and optimistic. It does my heart good to see him.

I’m happy here. These people surrounding me share my background, my blood, my history. There is a different level of intimacy in a circle of people you have been a part of your entire life. There is comfort in the knowing and loving. That’s one of the biggest parts of a relationship that I have missed. That shared sense of community you get when you’re part of a family. I have that…just not every day.

Losing my classmate Anna drives home how tenuous our time here really is. As I read her obituary last night, it reminded me…she and I shared a birthday. Same day, same hospital. Maybe our mothers relaxed back on their pillows and chatted about the wonders of childbirth. Maybe we had incubators that lay side by side in the nursery. Anna and I shared a special bond through a day on the calendar. I have missed that intimacy of close, personal relationships. I’m ready for more of that. ?❤️?

“Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.”
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭4:2‬ ‭NIV‬‬