Love your people

I guess some people pretend to like their in-laws. Suck it up, be polite for the holidays and family functions but secretly hate every minute of it. Probably some people don't even bother to pretend. I'm sure that sometimes the person you choose to marry doesn't come with an amazing new family that welcomes you as their own. Luckily, mine did. I couldn't be happier-for real-with all of the people that came as a bonus with my adorable new husband. They are fantastic, and I've gushed about them here before. (Again-not just because they are avid readers of the C&D. I actually love them.)

This holiday season my new family and I experienced the tragic loss of our aunt Debby, the person who performed our wedding ceremony. It is hard to put this kind of unimaginable sadness into words. It brings to mind a thousand cliches, but some of them are true. Tomorrow is promised to no one. Love your people (and your animals!) and try to remember what is really important.