Some letters

Dear Germany,
I will make you a deal. If you can give me more Halloween-related things, like trick-or-treating or haunted houses or fun-size candy bars, I will try very hard to learn the names of all 16 states and their capitals, plus extra effort will go into noun genders PLUS I will stop harboring negative thoughts towards people on the sidewalks who walk in 3-people-wide groups and don't get out of the way for a 159 cm girl carrying groceries. Deal? Deal.

Dear Sad Things That Just Happen Sometimes,
We know we need you every once in a while. Tragedy brings people together just as much as laughs and fun do. We do appreciate that we are growing closer while recognizing all the good things we have in our lives as well as the good-things-we-usually-think-of-as-only-ok-but-actually-they-are-really-good
things. We have new perspectives now. So we do appreciate this but ask for your understanding if we don't miss you too terribly much.

Dear Dresden,
Please point me the way to where I can find all the ingredients to make caramel apples. P.S. Do you have caramel apple suckers anywhere??

Dear Fellow Resident of my Building Who Also Tried to Buzz Someone in at the Same Time,
I'm sorry I hung up without saying anything else. I'm just awkward sometimes.

Dear Fall,
I keep calling you autumn because sometimes my students don't understand when I say that I like fall because then you sound like maybe I mean the gerund form of the noun and who would ever like falling? You are my favorite time of year. Thank you for letting me wear lots of layers and making me feel justified in buying new clothes. When you're in Germany you do not come with Thanksgiving but that's ok because we make Thanksgiving happen anyway even if it's not a day off like it is in the US. What was I talking about?

Dear Bastian,
Thank you for being here and for all that you're saying and doing. Even if you don't think you're doing anything, you are.
And thank you for making Thanksgiving happen every year too.
And thank you for being patient while I type this even though I still have to take a shower before we go to the grocery store.