Hey, maybe it's catching. My wife has had a lousy cold for the last week, although not as debilitating as bronchitis. May you both be up and running again soon...

I've never kept a diary, but I have been a foracious letter (and now e-mail writer) over the years. When I felt I'd written something worth remembering, I made a copy of the letter. I have copies of letters going back to the 60's. A while back, I went through all the letters and pulled out ever description of something my sons did when they were growing up. I combined them all into a small stapled book for my sons, and I have over 30 pages single spaced. My letters and e-mails are sprinkled with song lyrics and many of the chapters in my book grew out of old letters.

The last year or so of my mother's life, I pulled together everything I'd written (and some things she;d written) along with lyrics of songs I written that relate to the memories, and old photos. I ended up with a book substantial enough to publish if I feel the need in the future. The greatest thing was that I shared copies with my sisters, and mom's last year was one long kitchen table of memories that we all loved. It was a beautiful way to lovingly say goodbye.