Hi Ma,

It's that time once again.  Today marks the five-year anniversary of your death.  I am still split whether it feels like it happened yesterday, or if it's been an eternity.  I guess the correct answer is, "yes."  It's been a while since I've written to you, so I thought I'd check in for a bit.

Donald Trump is still in the White House, setting all sorts of records for lies and finding new ways to damage the country each day.  You would be angry  like the rest of us, but you would have expressed that outrage and advocated for change with an eloquence that is sorely missed.   However, Nancy Pelosi has been more than a match for him as speaker of the House so far this year.  You would also appreciate the freshman members of Congress like Representatives Ayanna Pressley and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.  They're strong women who are out to upend the status quo, and they provide hope about our politics and government moving forward.

In more pleasant news, the Red Sox won the World Series again!  I know, right?  That team just dominated everyone from start to finish.  Pedey didn't play very much, but Mookie Betts had a season for the ages and won the MVP award.  You would so dig Mookie.  He's great at everything and always smiling.  The guy just got a one-year deal for $20 million, and he is worth it.  Hopefully he'll be with the team for a long time to come.  I wish you could have seen him live from my seats in the bleachers.  You would have needed your binoculars to watch the rest of the game, but it would have been a treat to bring you at least once.

The fun continues, because the Patriots are going back to the Super Bowl!  They had a lot of challenges this season, but as long as your boy Tommy is there, all things are possible.  Gotta say though, this year's AFC Championship Game took 30 years off my life.  I'm still recovering!  Brady and company simply refused to lose on the road to a good Kansas City Chiefs team.  It seemed like there were 100 lead changes in the 4th quarter, but once the Patriots won the coin toss in overtime, it was game over.  Now, we're on to the Los Angeles Rams!

As for me, let's see.  Clearing out the Clutter is going well.  We've got readers from over 120 countries, and there's something for everyone, from commentary on daily events, to book reviews, TV reviews, and whatever else inspires a reaction here.  We seem to be increasingly angering Trump supporters, so you know we're on the right track.

The garden and houseplants are also doing well.  It wouldn't surprise you in the least how much I love taking care of them, and they are also there for me.  We're a good team.  As soon as I step foot into the back yard, everything else disappears.  You can't put a price on that peacefulness.

I'm sure you would not be thrilled to hear that I have somehow probably become even more of a recluse than I was five years ago.  However, I think you started to understand that you and I had different definitions of a happy life.  I concede that I occasionally let too much time pass without face-to-face interactions, but for the most part, I'm doing what's right for me.  Of course, you're always welcome to come back if you want to argue about it.

January 25 has been my version of hell since 2014, because it's always meant involuntary flashbacks to seemingly every minute of that day.  It has been soul-crushing every time, and my only goal is just surviving it.  I have felt so much better this week than I have in past years, so maybe this will be more manageable, and I will just be brokenhearted instead of feeling defeated.  Or, maybe it will be more of the same.

Either way, I'll do what I need to do in order to get through the day, and then I'll go to bed.  When I wake up on the 26th, I will continue to travel the path towards the best life I can lead, because I know that's what you would have asked of me.

That's all for now, although I think of you every day.

I love you and miss you.