5/9: just to say hello

When I got into my office after my students' Latin exam today, the red light on my phone was blinking, signalling a voice-mail message. I immediately got nervous. Was it bad news from Chris & Wilkie's trip to the vet this morning? Or was it a student with some trouble finishing up a class? It's not a fun time of year for surprises; most unexpected things at this time of year end up being unpleasant. But when I went into the voice-mail system to hear the message, it was not an unpleasant surprise at all: it was a dear friend who was just calling to say hello so that I would have a sweet message waiting for me at work.