Thanks to Andrew Sullivan for making my niece Claire his Face of the Day today, and for linking to all my posts about my sister and her cancer.
I wrote to Andrew from the airport yesterday and told him what was happening to my sister, and what an example she’s been to me, and asked him to forgive me for my hard-heartedness toward him. He responded in kind. We are destined to disagree, but we are not destined to be nasty to each other. I thank him for his generosity of spirit.

I just got off the phone with my mom, who told me that Ruthie had been involved for some time in the planning of her close friend and schoolteacher colleague Abby’s birthday party, which was set for last night. Obviously, cancer intervened, and Ruthie couldn’t go. Last night, a caravan of seven cars pulled into my sister’s driveway, and all the teachers came inside to share some of Abby’s birthday with Ruthie before they went to dinner. A marvelous, marvelous thing.
Above, a photograph of Ruthie and her magnificent husband Mike, taken at the hospital. Aren’t they radiantly beautiful, in their bright sadness? Those are the people so many of you are praying for. Several people at church today in Pennsylvania came up to me to tell me they are praying for the Lemings. Please don’t stop.