Kathy,

I've been to Michigan several times, including in the middle of winter, and
if not for your parents, it is hard to believe you would be homesick, haw.
Man, I thought Iowa was cold growing up as a kid.  Of course, maybe I think
that because we had no heat upstairs and my bedroom was upstairs.  Michigan
is about the coldest place I've ever been except for a town here in Colorado
that is at about 8,000 feet.  Anyhow, there was a period of time I talked to
my on the phone every day from 30 minutes to an hour.  She had remarried and
my step dad was a jerk.  Mom lived right here in Denver so I saw her often,
too.  After her first big stroke when she was about 73 years old, my step
dad isolated her from her family so much, I didn't get to talk to her as
much.  My mom knew how to pray, though, and my sisters and I were always
calling her, even after her stroke, to pray about things so it often happens
that I'll think, I wish I could call mom about this.

Phil.