In the face of a week that has contained a measure too much tragedy, pain, and personal disbelief at the insanity of the world, I want to publicly declare that I will not back down, I will not give up, I will not stop fighting for what is good and right and true and beautiful. If this battle is to be lost in the end, it will not be because I stood by. This week I wrote a letter of reference for a friend applying for a citizenship award, which reminded me that she is awesome and that I'm not alone in this fight. This week a friend told me that she got to spend thanksgiving with family from whom she has been estranged for the past four years and, yes, you can convey joy in a text. This week I read a book that made me cry... twice... and I thanked the person who told me to read it. This week I sang with my choir tribe and the music rang out in German, Zulu, Irish Gaelic, and at least two dialects of English. And I get to do it again tomorrow. This week I voted, without fear of death or violence, for a country that I love with all my heart. This week my kids stepped up to take care of me when I hurt my shoulder, not because I asked or because they had to, they just did it. This week a new friend took the time to say something really nice to me when they really didn't need to. This week my sister made fun of me from Los Angeles through the miracle of the interwebs. This week I ate a tomato that grew in my own garden, and cherry pie with whipped cream (not from my garden). This week I watched the reunion webcast and panel for Dr Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, because Felicia Day AND Joss Whedon AND Nathan Fillion AND Neil Patrick Harris! And did I mention Felicia Day? This week I laughed more than I cried, felt love more than I felt fear, got up more than I fell down. Sometimes the battle is won with stones, sometimes with grains of sand.