Christmas morning, keeping with my personal tradition, I sat in the living room to open and read through all my cards; all except for one.

I simply could not open the last card written by my Aunt Joyce who passed away Friday, December 11th.

I was Aunt Joyce’s first great-nephew, so I to target a connection: this afternoon I opened Aunt Joyce’s card on December 27th, the 23rd birthday of my first nephew, Jonathan Garrett Surber, who was named after Aunt Joyce’s father, John William Garrett Clary.

Tears. But, they were more joyful, a bit less achy.

Know you are loved, Aunt Joyce. I will never stop missing you…