Why I've Been Quiet of Late...

Content warning: unexpected death of a loved one.

I've been largely absent recently, not because I haven't had things to post, but because of a devastating loss. The last few weeks have gone by in a horrific blur.

I normally would have talked about:

• My two book signings I attended. I met readers and other authors and enjoyed those interactions and would have posted with pics and great stories.

• My PSA about getting your mammogram. The facility I use has lockers with the names of famous women. I usually try to get Dolly Parton, but with her recent passing, others wanted that one too--I ended up with Florence Nightingale. I also had my annual physical, my eye exam, and my dental appointment. August and September are when I try to take care of those important exams, and this year they became even more important.

• Labor Day and its significance and what my family did to celebrate the day. The picnic was epic.

• My annual 9/11 post. I lived just outside of the Washington DC Beltway. On that day, I pulled into my driveway, got my kids out of the car, and heard the plane hit the Pentagon. I will never forget that sound.

• The two trips I made to Ohio, to the place I consider my home town. My father was in the army until I was ten, so after he got out, I ended up living in Ohio for the longest period of time in my history (until I moved to Texas).

I didn't post about any of these things, because my youngest sister experienced four strokes, a series of follow-up seizures, and she spent ten days in the Neurology ICU before passing away. It was brief and awful and unexpected and unbearably sad. She lived in my home town and is the reason I came to visit, first to help my parents figure out what her long-term care would look like and how we'd pay for it. Once we realized she would not be facing rehab and would pass away, I made a second trip to help them make final arrangements and engage the services of an estate attorney. No parent should have to deal with the death of a child.

My sister was an amazing teacher who changed people's lives. She was my traveling companion to Scotland and England and Wales and Bermuda, where we had amazing adventures. She was funny and smart and caring, and she should not have gone before me. Her final gift to the world was as an organ donor, and someone is able to see today because of her.

Grief is a hard emotion. My other sister, my brother, my parents, and the rest of our family is struggling to come to terms with this loss. I've returned home to Texas, and I'm trying to get back to some semblance of normal. I ask for your grace and patience at this time while I try to reconcile with a world without Kristin in it.

Me and my sisters (my brother wasn't born yet). I'm the eldest, Jean is the middle sister, and Kristin is the youngest.