So he is over there at the center of the earth, and I’m over here near Santa’s hideout.  We are both in darkness in this moment.  The sun will come up for him in one hour.  The rooster will crow.  And I will be heading to bed.

We talked on the phone earlier in the day.  He could have been just as well be in Maidstone, Saskatchewan.  The line was that clear except he couldn’t quite get in his truck and be here in two hours because there’s an ocean between us.  So we talked and hung up.  He went to swim in the ocean.  I bundled up in my winter gear, Sheba in her fur, for our daily walk.

The house is silent.  Sheba is still.  I breathe.  All is well.