My thoughts were of Christmas, and that old feeling of loneliness welled up from deep in my chest, leaving a lump in my throat. The date on my watch read December 16th. Memories of home reminded me that this was the day we would start to decorate our tree, making sure it was finished for my brother"s birthday on the eighteenth. My mother"s birthday was the day after New Year"s, and the tree would come down the day after that. A family tradition followed for years, the reasoning of which had long been forgotten and no longer mattered.
I thought of the unique purchases that I had made this year in Whitehorse for Christmas. My eyes stung with tears thinking of the tremendous sense of loss my family would feel this holiday season. A time for good food, family fun and renewal of spirit would b
