Our trip to Illinois was exhausting but reassuring. It seems almost ridiculously trite to say that going ahead with the wedding is "what he would have wanted," but it's the absolute truth. He'd given us a lot of crap about the fact that we were making him wear a tux, but we found out at the wake that he'd been gloating about it to all his friends (probably because it meant he didn't have to think about what to wear). Almost immediately after the proposal, Dad started signing his emails "Father of the Bride," so when we found socks that said that, they were an obviously perfect gift. Yesterday, he was laid to rest wearing them.

It's now the calm between two storms, if there is such a phrase. To all of you who we saw in Illinois or who expressed sympathy in other ways, thank you. To all of you who will be joining us in Massachusetts, we look forward to celebrating this cheerier life transition with you.