Last night was risotto dinner number three. Pat outdid himself with his bacon, leek, scallop creation. Maureen, one of our generous pledgers brought a ridiculous chocolate cake that I was tempted never to cut into because it was such a masterpiece...

Food, always good. Wine, incredible. The company, just lovely. The workshops last week were intense and deeply satsifying. The response? Overwhlmingly positive! So this was a nice celebration with a few of you folks who have so generously made it all possible.

I do keep feeling like I'm in uncharted territory, - that so many of us are hungry and yet terrified to start these conversations about love, death, caregiving, dementia, the beyond. It IS scary. But we are not, ever, alone.

I ended up playing a very rough mix from the new record/play for our guests - a song called "Scars." I had forgotten I borrowed one of the lines in the chorus from a poem of my mother's. She is telling a younger poet "Start again, more than you ever dreamed you could, start again."

Oh Mom...(I still talk to her all the time) thank you for everything.