Just another lonely morning since her husband passed.  As she pours her coffee, the doorbell rings.

“Merry Christmas, Mrs. Johnson!”

A gift? For me?

By the fire, with tears in her eyes, she opens it.

“Good for one car wash.”

“One lawn trimming.”

And in a child’s scribbles, “One hug.”

Christa Lyon-Moon has spent two decades transcribing the voices of others as a TypeWell transcriber for the Deaf and hard-of-hearing community in higher education. She lends those same attentive ears to her writing, crafting stories that listen closely to silence, love, and the small moments connecting her family and lively collection of animals.