Dears, my sister Abby has been visiting and making life good, so I haven’t updated you in a while. This is just a quick note to say we are all still here. Val is very tired and weak these days, often not leaving her bedroom, but now and then she Continue Reading
ways to be home
Dear ones, How shall we talk about this? What do I say? Everything changes so quickly and at once so slowly, dreamlike. We are still here, but we are inexorably changing. For so long I have known none of us would get out of this alive. And I knew in Continue Reading
Betty’s letter
Val’s mom Betty married her second husband, Val’s father Miles, in 1963. They spent their summers in northwestern Montana on the cattle ranch where Miles’ parents had lived since 1938. In 1967 (two years before Val was born) Betty wrote a letter to her younger sister Lois, describing her delight in summer Continue Reading
saying goodbye to Betty
Folks, this was one of the hardest weeks of my life. Val was incredibly, terrifyingly sick all week and we both just barely made it through. She was especially sick on the day of Betty’s funeral, which was lovely and moving and sad and celebratory. The Garrison family has lived Continue Reading
in the blender
Dear friends, here are a few updates: Radiation: The radiation oncology team was able to map out a radiation plan for Val. The trick was to avoid major risk of damage to her trachea, esophagus and heart, yet still target the tumors constricting her breathing. Val has now done eight Continue Reading
missing Betty
Friends, Still no time to write, but I know people worry, so I just wanted to say Val and I are still here. Lots of big events in the last couple weeks, too big to encompass in hurried snippets. The biggest event is that the very beloved Betty Garrison, Valerie’s Continue Reading