Fall is just getting going here in Fayetteville.  This morning I gave Sunny a beautiful walk and snapped a few pictures to begin documenting the ever changing leaves, one of my favorite things to do.  In the midst of this season of change, Troy’s stepfather David peacefully passed away Sunday night after a very brief struggle with brain cancer.  Troy and Huck are in Wichita now with Troy’s family for a few days while I prepare for opening night here.  My character has just flown in from New York for her father’s funeral at the beginning of fall in Chicago.  Fathers and funerals and the women who mourn them are on my mind a lot these days and nights.  Our dear friend Carmen from the Bronx who regularly sends us handwritten love letters and church bulletins wrote this last week: “We are advanced humans but not enough to combat pain and the trauma we receive when somebody we love hurts.”  We are thankful for the seven years that Papa David was in our family, and we will always remember his beautiful smile and the deep love he had for Troy’s mom.

To be continued.