Halloween was always my favorite holiday, except for the year my mother made me dress up as Shirley Temple. She curled my hair, tied it up with a big pink bow, and put me in a short pink dress with patent leather shoes. I wanted to be a witch instead.

When I was a little girl, my Dad traveled a lot.  We would surprise each other with notes that I would tuck in between the shirts in his luggage, and he would place them into storybooks of mine.  It was a sweet way to keep connected until he returned home.