C—

Thank you. What a strange relief and affirmation to know it was not, after all these years, one-sided. But thank you more for the "simple hello". I had not realized such a thing was possible, that two words could bring both impact and lightness.

The girls are the most exhausting, messy, darling little fingers of the world. My wife and I have been bringing them to the park, while the rains rain elsewhere. The eldest seems to have outgrown the stare, or have kept it for later intents, since there's not much use of it anyway in kinder. The youngest carries it now, usually to mock me, which always works. She does not know it yet, but her allowance will suffer the consequences.

The writing's going along fine (thanks for asking!). I have been exploring smaller forms, poems, prose poems, very short stories, aleatory practices. Some of this 'exploration' has to do with gathering worthwhile activities for my large classes, some of it is really for exploration's sake, but most of it is Dora, that is, so I can spend more time with my daughters.

Thank you for not letting me go unappreciated. I would like to talk about your effects on me as well, but that would ruin the simple hello, knowing me. I shall instead, as the movie goes, pay it forward, and unleash a torrent of grace and good vibes upon the next unsuspecting student. Or, better yet (if I can manage), on my incoming 354 HUM 1 students (about a week before this message I was thinking hard about how I could reduce the number of 5s I give out every semester without, you know, relaxing the standards).

"Let them inspire you as well." I have yet to work on this. Perhaps this is a start.