My father-in-law was born the same year as my father, but he survived Dad by close to two decades. He was my father-in-law for nearly as many years as my father was my father. Death at ninety-two should not be a surprise, but months later I can still be startled by reminders that my father-in-law is gone. At the store, I pause in the ice cream aisle before remembering that we no longer need to keep ice cream in the house to delight a loved one with so few delights left. I open the nest box to photograph the baby bluebirds, and then I remember that there is no reason to take pictures. For so
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