Gibbs slid the just-finished letter into the neatly addressed envelope and sealed it. He hadn't had a lot of news to relate – just the mundane details of life, things that really didn't matter, but that, in the telling, helped to sustain an illusion of normalcy. He knew that most communication between sailors and their families was by email now, but he remembered vividly how much a tangible connection to home had meant when he had been deployed. He cherished every one of Shannon's letters. And he was determined to give the same to Tony.