Today I received a thank you card from my ten-year old godson, thanking me for his birthday gift. And then, in a child’s handwriting, where letters aren’t quite perfectly formed, he added this:

And my heart broke. In the most wonderful way. Because I miss him, too. I miss our loud and rambunctious outings. I miss snuggling hard on the couch. I miss listening to books on tape together.

I miss all of my friends in the Bay Area, especially the children of all of my dearest friends. It’s like watching the best of the best grow up again. It’s a lot to hold true all at once: not missing living in the Bay Area, for the cost of living, for the politics, for the homelessness *and* at the same time missing the people that I love so dearly. So hard. Missing the opportunity to be part of their day to day lives. I guess that’s what letters are for, right?