Paul’s People, No. 52

This is my friend Marilyn Othmer.

She has been contributing to The Slice since the 20th century. Her name has appeared in my column about 30 times over the years.

But we met in person for the first time today.

Marilyn and her husband moved to Spokane from Chewelah not long ago. Access to medical care is just one of the reasons.

It is not entirely unusual for me to feel like I’d like to give one of my readers a hug. Getting to follow through on that impulse today felt like a gift.