Oregon (AP) — At a woodsy retreat center in Oregon, some 30 men and women are seated or lying down, masks covering their eyes and listening to serene music.

There was no way that Christmas was going to be easy for Daniel Brooker and his two young children after his wife, Lyndsie, lost her 10-year battle with cancer.

DEAR READERS: I want to wish you the happiest of holidays as we enjoy this special season. Whatever your spiritual practice, this is the time that family and friends gather and share love, great food, gifts and connections. It is a time that many of us look forward to for months. We carve out space for being together. And this year is especially important because many of us did not get together over the past two years due to the pandemic. We missed the heartfelt hugs, the hot cider, the plates piled high with once-a-year treats, the floor scattered with wrapping paper and discarded boxes.

The Clinton Economic Development Authority will review a letter of intent from the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety, including the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, in which they are requesting the site of the Glancy Motel be donated for the purpose of building a new OHP troop headquarters during a special meeting Tuesday.