As she prepares to celebrate the wedding of her youngest child, Pat is rocked to the core with news that something is wrong inside her body. She resolves to face the rare illness just as she has confronted other challenges: head on. After all, life is racing ahead, and it's all she can do to keep up. With her mother's health declining, Pat assumes the role of family matriarch, all the while aware she herself eventually will pass it to future generations through her daughters. For now, it's up to her to continue the family tradition of writing and saving letters that hold together an extended group of her four adult children, growing list of grandchildren, three brothers, and numerous relatives and friends, despite the boundaries of geography. Pat and her family battle hurricanes, medical emergencies and relationship pains. They also share their love of life with big news about romance, babies, job promotions, travel and everyday pleasures. When Pat is forced to make a life-changing decision, she finds that she has support from more than just her family. She also has the inner strength she has carried all along.