Thank you everyone who chimed in with your expressions of sympathy over the last few days. It was greatly appreciated. It's been a rough couple of weeks. My wife lost someone very close to her just the week before and then I received news of my mother's passing right on the heels of our healing from that first loss.

I'm very glad this journal was here. It allowed my brothers and sisters to express themselves to one the other in a way that we haven't done in the past. Sometimes pain has to be expunged before real healing can begin and I hope that we can start to heal now.

It's time for me to move back into the realm of my rantings and ravings and get back to living life now.

I just finished a new story which I have very high hopes for. My critique group has unanimously declared it a winner and this may be the story that breaks me into the pro markets. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

I currently have around fifteen short stories in the mail to various markets and it's just about time for a new wave of rejections/acceptances to start rolling in the door. For the record, I'm still running at a two rejection to one acceptance ration, and I can easily live with those numbers.

Back to work this morning. Sometimes that's the best thing to regain footing at a time like this.

Thanks again. You all have been great.

Joseph Haines, signing off from The Edge of the Abyss.