"Deal!" We all shouted at the one holding the deck of cards. It was Christmas and all of my 18 cousins and their parents and our grandparents gathered in Idyllwild in a great wood and stone cabin with a large granite fireplace. Grandma brought a project- ribbon necklaces with bangles that would be perfect for Valentines! She loved (loves. the beauty of being a Christian!) projects and celebrations and preparations. We sat together on the worn rug, spoons carefully placed, ready to spare no one in our joyful, competitive clawing. The thud of those floors, the heat of the fireplace and joyful laughter of the grown ups sharing lives gifted me with a cozy loving bedrock
