Twas the night before Christmas 2024 and all through the house, not a creature was stirring.... Merry Christmas Irma, Elle and Laura.

Dear Irma, I trust this CHristmas Eve letter finds you, and our two daughters well. This time of year was always special for your late father-in-law and, by extension, for me. IT is my hope that it remains, or has become, a special time for you too, Irma. Meeting a Canadian in OKayama City back in 1990 changed your lifepath just as much as meeting a Mexican changed mine. This morning I wish to count it among our family's blessings. Elle and Laura are now around the same age you and I were when we first decided to share our lives together and form a family. While we didn't really know each other well enough yet, we hitched our wagon to the Fates and took the plunge. Do young people still do that? Not with the same ease and confidence, it would seem. All of us are a product of our childhood and we carry that legacy, like a turtle carries its shell, all the days of our lives. Do you recall the three lines of French poetry that I once composed and gave to you? "Le moi, pour toi, je le risque. Le toi, pour moi, tu le risque. Le tout, pour nous, risqu'on le." If you, or any of you, ever have questions or feel the need to talk, let me know. For me, those three lines sum up my thinking back in 1991. in the interim, may the three of you bask in the knowlesge that you are well, that your extended family is well, that each of us is living as healthy and productive a life as we can, and that love is often expressed implicitly if not explicitly. MAy the Sprit of Christmas, like my momoties of my DAd (who cherished December 25 more than anyone I ever knew) inhabit each of you this week, this month and for the coming 12 months. Peace on earth and goodwill to all. Merry Christmas 2025 and Happy New Year 2026. Love, Bern

Happy 28th birthday, Laura. May the coming 12 months be healthy, joyous, productive, and prosperous ones for you and those around you whom you love.

Good morning Laura: Dec. 23, 1996, was a wonderful day. Every year at this time, God is thanked for sending you into our family to brighten the world a little bit and lift the spirits of everyone whose lives have been touched by your kindness and intelligence. Know that your family continues to root and cheer for you as you make your way through life, like a shooting star, guiding others with your wisdom and touching the lives of those you meet along the way. A precocious child, you never failed to impress your paternal grandparents with you ability to reason and verbalize things at a time when other children were still trying to string letters together and form words. It was as though you were in a hurry and had the knowledge and raw horsepower well before your peers. Your paternal grandfather reminded us frequently that: "To those to whom God gave much, much was expected.". From where I sit, Laura, you have always been a contributor, a hard worker, and a tireless defender of the rights of others. From the impoverished corn farmer in Mexico to the vulnerable and unrepresented LEX client in Montreal, you have been in their corner. It remains my hope that the love and joy of a father for his daughter will be felt and received. Like a distant star in a far off galaxy, I shall persist in transmitting light and heat long after my inner force has extinguished... In the hope that even just a glint or a glimmer will one day land on your cheek and be felt not as a sunburn but as a flickering glow of warmth and unconditional, unadulterated love. Stay well, dear Laura in the coming year. Continue to use all your talents, communications ability and fine brain in service to others. You have your Mom's raw intelligence and sense of justice. Use it in service to others. The life path of the gifted child is never easy yet it can be most rewarding. None of us will make it out alive. The best we can hope to achieve is to somehow lighten the load for others along the way. Service towards others is what leads to joy and happiness, I believe. For your paternal grandfather it was his modus operandi,.. his natural state. He led by example and thought by living a good, clean, exemplary life, Laura. And, like the rest of us, Austin Edward cheered the day you entered the world. Dec. 23, 1996. May you feel only the love and warm embrace of an extended family that loves you unconditionally, that is proud of your many talents and how you are putting them to use in service of others, of your inner and outer beauty and intelligence. Happy birthday, today, Laura. Know that you are loved and that your love is felt by others including me. With love, Dad

Letter to Laura

Dear Laura, I trust this letter finds you well and safe. I know that things have been very difficult between us, and I wish to acknowledge how painful and confusing this time must be for you. I am truly sorry for any hurt or frustration you’ve felt. I want you to know that I love you very much. My wish is for us to have a healthy and happy relationship. I understand that rebuilding trust will take time. I am committed to being patient and respectful of your feelings and boundaries. If you ever feel ready to talk or share your thoughts and feelings with me, I am here to listen. You can express yourself in any way that feels right for you, whether it's through words, art, or any other means. I promise to listen with an open heart and without judgment. Please know that my love for you is unwavering. I am here for you whenever you feel ready to take that step towards reconnecting. In the meantime, I shall continue to work on myself and to do everything I can to be the person I was meant to become. With all my love, Dad