Hello, and welcome, Joanne here.

So before we begin, I just wanted to take a few moments and say a few words about the

reason for the long pause since my last upload.

My 85-year-old father lives alone and has Alzheimer's, and sadly he's been steadily declining

over the last few months.

He also was recently diagnosed with a very serious illness, and he's been much weaker and

is requiring much more care and attention.

As I'm sure you all know, caregiving can be extremely challenging, very stressful,

and emotionally draining, and on top of all of that, I've also been feeling very sad

as I continue to process my father's decline, and to be honest, I was finding it very

difficult to feel creative and inspired, which I hope helps explain why I haven't been

uploading often.

But now that we have a bit more home-care support in place for my father, I hope to be uploading

every two weeks again.

However, I do hope to have your understanding and support if my attention and focus suddenly

need to be redirected towards my father.

I just wanted to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of you so much for

your continued support.

I am truly passionate about helping people find relaxation and sleep, and it means so much

to me that you are here.

And so, my friend, let's begin.

Tonight, I have chosen to read two short stories by Louisa Alcott, and I hope that with

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