Howdy. If you’re here for the politics, we should have something for you tomorrow.

A year ago yesterday, my sister, my brothers and I got some bad news about our mother: she was suffering from advanced cancer, and didn’t have long to live.

The ensuing two and a half months are a protracted blur, but I can remember all too well how they ended: with my mother and father passing away within five days of each other in January.

Today, like every other day since then, I remember Mom and Dad, JoAnne and Dick, Grandma and Grandpa. I miss them the way I would miss an arm. And I remember Mike, Rick and Beth, and how we all came together in those final weeks to redress some tiny portion of that enormous, unpayable debt that children owe their parents.

To all of you – and to Alex, Lilah, Dianne, Abbey, Erin, Ashley, Nicholas, Jacob, Jenn, Jack and our newest Cottingham, Kyle, who was there in utero – to Deborah, who was so generous and caring – to Penny and Don, and Heather and Chris, and to that army of cousins, neighbours, friends and caregivers who made such a huge difference – my love and my thanks.

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