"I heard you were back in the hospital again, which completely sucks, and I hope that when you read this you are at home again with Andy and Abby… It was wonderful spending the afternoon with you last month. We talked about both relatively inconsequential, newsy stuff (e.g. Are you ready for school? How was Ethan's wedding?) and more philosophical stuff (e.g. God), but I never really got up the courage to tell you how much I love you. Love isn't a subject that gets talked about a lot in my family. We expect each other to be mindreaders—and we're pretty good at it—but it's a lot to expect from our friends. One of the things I've always loved and admired (and envied) about you is your incredible openness of expression—in love, anger, forgiveness, and friendship. I've met lots of people over the years whom I've liked, but you are one of my favorite people in the whole world. I love you."

Nerkie