Today I had some time to reflect on our last week. In that week, we had two very different book events for Of Grief, Garlic and Gratitude. One was at the local library, one at a local theater. One was hosted by the library and a local support group, the other by the United Way.

Both events were very well attended — pretty impressive for winter nights in Vermont! One was full of people who knew us personally, and almost all of them knew Sam. The other had many people I didn’t know, and the number of people who knew Sam was small.

In thinking back about the two, it was a gift to be able to do them back to back like I did. One was very, very emotional, as I watched beloved faces struggle with the emotions of the conversation. The other way more nerve-wracking as I spoke to my largest audience yet as an author.

What did I learn from them? I learned that love is what matters most. I learned that my sons and husband are even more amazing than I thought. I learned again that we have incredible parents, friends, colleagues. I learned that people would willingly shove themselves out of their comfort zones to join us for the events.

I learned again how loved we are, and am so very thankful for that love.