Pepparkakor Cookies and Prayers

I've made pepparkakor cookies every year for over 36 years.

This year the smallest batch ever. I merely doubled the recipe.

I use every ounce of dough down to the last small bit,

making bears and trees, stars, moons, hearts and trees...

Large and small cookies for various appetites.

I was alone this morning while baking them,

 but I was not alone in my thoughts.

My dear friend Annie and her husband Ron

have been waging war against his cancer for

 some time now and he was doing so well

except for a nagging pain in his arm, what

seemed to be a nerve issue.

Yesterday it became severe enough

 to head to the emergency room 

and today, in a few minutes actually,

 he is headed to surgery to have a

 tumor near his spine removed.

They discovered it late last night.

As you can imagine they are frightened

and bewildered by this sudden turn of events,

and the seriousness of the location.

So I baked and I prayed

and I prayed some more.

My dear friends

please send some more prayers up

or out into the universe if that is where your beliefs lay.

For Annie and Ron.

It's Christmas Eve and my

friends are hurting, and I pray and pray,

for these good people and their family.

I will hug my children even closer today

and give additional thanks for my many blessings.

May your families be blessed 

and healthy

this Holiday Season

with great affection from me to you

Suzan