Kisses For Later

Many Islanders know this story better than I do, but I saw part of it last night on the news and was deeply moved by it.

As I understand it, Jenn Zahavich, young wife and mother, was diagnosed with cancer. She started a blog, and wrote about her battle and her new appreciation for life.

As her condition worsened, she wrote a children's story for her young son, and planned to publish it. The story is called Kisses For Later, and is about a mother who gives her son many, many kisses, which he can store in reserve. When he has "a hurt", he can take one and use it. She has read the story aloud many times to her son.

Jenn passed away 2 weeks ago.

I will be sure to provide a link to the book, once it becomes available.

CC

Update

Here is a quick life update for interested readers:

• I'm not out of the woods just yet, but my editor had high praise for the first draft of my article. I poured a lot into it, and the bar is high, so this is a relief. For those that will have me, my social calendar is open!
  
• This might not be obvious for a software developer, but from blogging, to articles, writing is one of the pillars of my career. Even silly satire opens a lot of doors.
• The plan for summer visitors is in continual flux. There were 4 separate probable visits; sadly, it's now down to a definite, a probable, and a maybe. I don't mind flexibility, but it is tricky to keep up! Esp. since I will be planning vacation around this.
  
• A big win for one friend is that she planned to come for the Cavendish Beach Music Festival, as she is a big country music fan. However, the artists were not yet announced. Bonus: the gamble paid off, as the headliner is Brad Paisley, who we both love. He is an unbelievable guitarist. A double-bonus was running into my sister whilst buying the tickets at the box office.
  
• A heavy day tomorrow for some dear relatives. I won't go into details here but it is a time for our family to come together.
  

And now we wait

I have been wrapped up in a writing assignment for about a month. I've been pretty anti-social, with exceptions for the Scotties (curling) and church. I've lived and breathed this article for several weekends in a row... the gym and the piano are vague memories.

This has been nerve-wracking because it is my first time writing for this outfit (it is the same as the Java conference series that I've mentioned in the past), and the peer pressure is high. The other authors are brilliant and monstrously prolific.

The good news: draft #1 has been submitted! Though I am not done, I can enjoy this weekend. At some point next week, I will receive the dreaded Editor's Feedback, which will be a renewed call to action.

Tonight, I celebrate by attacking a major pile of laundry with the resources only a Friday night can guarantee.

CC