1. Hello.
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2. I'm Joe Pera, and I've been
trying to write
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3. my grandmother's obituary
for a week now.
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4. It's tough.
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5. How do you condense
a loved one's life
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6. into four or five sentences
for the local newspaper?
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7. I started by making
a list of things
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8. I know are
absolutely true.
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9. She loved to bake,
and she loved the film "Gigi."
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10. She liked
going for rides,
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11. and when visitors stopped by
for coffee.
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12. And she loved, loved,
loved the mother
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13. from
"Everybody Loves Raymond."
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14. I think she was funnier.
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15. There's so much more.
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16. It's just hard to put on paper
what made her special —
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17. like the sense of warmth
she gave off
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18. even when just talking
on the phone
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19. with the cable company
representative
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20. about how she couldn't
get her remote to work —
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21. which reminds me, I consider it
one of my biggest failures
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22. that I could never teach her
to use the DVD player.
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23. Believe me, I tried.
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24. These things are so small
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25. compared to what
she meant to me.
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26. And even if I could sum her up
with a single anecdote,
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27. I don't know
if I'd want to.
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28. I suppose there is something
comforting it in that,
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29. to get into the
"Mining Journal,"
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30. you don't have to invent
anything or commit an atrocity.
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31. You just have to live
most of your life
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32. in Marquette, Michigan.
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33. It's enough.
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34. When you're gone,
that's news.
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35. It's hard to write an obituary
in the moment that you have to.
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36. With all the arrangements
to be made,
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37. bank accounts to be closed,
and people to call,
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38. I've hardly had the time
or energy
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39. to write what
my grandmother deserves.
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40. It would have been much easier
to compose it in advance.
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41. Then again, that would be
kind of sick, wouldn't it?
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42. I already feel like
I let her down
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43. with what I brought
to the wake 3 days ago.
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44. With the exception of the two
cinnamon toaster waffles
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45. she ate every morning, my nana
made everything from scratch.
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46. In a similar situation,
she would have found the energy
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47. to make a kettle
of sauce.
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48. I didn't do that.
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49. Joe, sorry for
your loss.
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50. Thanks, Georgie.
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51. Hey, what a bunch
of sandwiches.
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52. It looks like, uh, turkey,
lettuce, and tomato?
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53. Is that white cheese?
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54. Yeah. People will like this.
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55. This is a nice touch.
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56. I'll put it over here
on the table for you.
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57. Nana had a lot of people
who loved her.
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58. Mm-hmm.
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59. You hungry?
There's a lot of stuff.
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60. I'm alright.
Thanks.
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61. Hi, Sue.
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62. Was your grandma 100
when she died?
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63. No. She was 93.
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64. That's still
a really long time.
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65. That's true.
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66. Thanks, Kelsey.
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67. I'm sorry.
I'm sorry, Joe.
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68. Thanks, Sue.
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69. Thanks Nicole, Josh.
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70. Hi, sweetie.
I'm so sorry.
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71. We're all gonna
miss nana so much.
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72. Thanks, Carole.
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73. I've been meaning
to call.
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74. I'm still working on
the obituary,
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75. and I was wondering
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76. if there's anything
you think I should include.
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77. Did she ever tell you about
our late-night doughnut runs?
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78. No.
How late?
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79. Eleven o'clock.
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80. Really?
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81. I thought she was always in bed
by 10 o'clock.
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82. What kind
would she get?
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83. Coconut.
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84. Take care.
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85. What Carole said reminded me
that there's so many things
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86. I didn't know about
my grandmother.
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87. She had a hard life
early on,
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88. and there was a lot
she didn't tell me.
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89. She also tucked away
a lot of worry.
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90. But when we were together,
things were straightforward.
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91. Was life really
that complicated?
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92. When you spend time
with your grandmother,
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93. watching
"Dancing With the Stars,"
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94. you realize
it doesn't have to be.
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95. And during the third
commercial break,
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96. you get big bowls
of cookie-dough ice cream,
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97. and you bring them back
into the living room,
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98. with dish towels on your laps,
so you don't spill it on you.
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99. Sarah?
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100. I'm really trying
to focus.
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101. I'm sorry, I just —
I don't want it to go bad.
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102. It's lots of mayonnaise,
and it's been out
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103. 11 hours, so...
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104. Okay.
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105. Stay.
I'll — I'll get it.
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106. Hey!
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107. One, two, three,
four cup man.
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108. How many cups
do you need?
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109. Look at you!
Look at that!
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110. Uh, sorry I couldn't
be at the wake.
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111. Um, I had to hold down the fort
at the garage.
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112. Hey, what's this?
I know this bowl.
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113. It's Sue's
chicken salad, huh?
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114. Yeah. Have some. Have you ever had this stuff?
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115. It's absolutely
phenomenal.
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116. Oh, my God.
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117. Mmm.
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118. How's it going with Sue?
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119. Mm...
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120. I don't know.
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121. Would you like to take
the chicken salad home with you?
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122. Nah. I can't.
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123. We've got more
than enough stuff.
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124. Alright.
Yeah, sure, I'll...
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125. Thanks.
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126. Yeah.
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127. Look, I just wanted to stop by
and let you know,
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128. if there's anything
you need,
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129. I can help you.
And I'm really sorry.
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130. Thanks, Mike.
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131. Have a nice time
with Mike?
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132. Mm-hmm.
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133. Hey, come on.
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134. Let's go outside.
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135. I'm Sarah Conner,
and, uh, let's —
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136. let's talk about edible
and non-edible plants.
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137. So, um, take, um,
lawn grass.
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138. It contains a high level
of silica,
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139. which, uh, definitely, um,
eats away at tooth enamel.
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140. Uh, still,
I'd take it over kale.
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141. Um...
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142. rhododendron, here,
while being the beauty queen
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143. of the garden, uh,
is highly deadly.
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144. Ingest any part of this plant,
and it could result in, uh,
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145. drooling, violent vomiting,
seizures,
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146. and eventually
a slowing of the pulse.
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147. You know, uh, if you remember
nothing else,
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148. memorize the following
is not to eat —
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149. jimsonweed, hemlock, nightshade,
acorn, hollyberries,
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150. mistletoe,
yewberry, daffodil.
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151. Uh, any of those,
you want to stay away from,
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152. because they could result
in sudden death.
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153. Um...
- Sarah.
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154. You can come back inside.
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155. I think I finished.
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156. Good.
That's good.
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157. I'm proud of you.
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158. Steven Sawyer?
- Hey, Joe.
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159. May I come in?
- Of course.
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160. Please, um,
can — can —
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161. can I get you a cup of coffee
or anything?
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162. Uh, no. I'm good.
Thanks.
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163. Steven Sawyer, editor of the
"Mining Journal," in my house.
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164. I, uh, wanted to stop by
because, um, Joe,
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165. I wasn't able to publish
your whole obituary.
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166. To run it, we would have
had to cut sports,
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167. weather, and world news.
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168. I understand.
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169. It was really good, though.
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170. I can tell your grammy
had a really full life.
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171. I hope you don't mind,
but I edited it down
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172. to the typical length
of an obituary,
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173. and we ran it,
and I wanted to show it to you.
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174. "Marquette, Michigan.
Francis 'Nana' Pera
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175. passed August 5th, 2018,
Marquette County Hospital
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176. surrounded by
close friends.
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177. A lifelong resident,
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178. she was an active member
of the Catholic church.
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179. Married to Joseph Pera Senior
on May 18th, 1950,
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180. she is survived by
her grandson, Joe.
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181. She loved doughnuts."
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182. This is nice.
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183. And everyone knows there's
more to her than this.
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184. This is for high school
classmates and neighbors,
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185. so they don't, you know,
send Christmas cards.
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186. Right.
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187. Well, I'll leave
you alone.
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188. I wanted to say, again, what you
wrote was really thorough,
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189. and I'm sure her friends
and loved one
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190. would want to read it
if you shared it with them.
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191. I will. Alright.
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192. Hi, Joe.
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193. I found this in the back
of your fridge —
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194. Nana's meatballs.
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195. Eat them before they expire.
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196. Love, Sarah.
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