Geri Denterlein's husband Jack Thomas spent his final days much the same way he spent most days in their 34-year relationship: reading, writing, collecting recipes, gardening and planning ahead. "It was my life that changed," Geri writes.

"I’ve lost count of the number of passersby who say 'You must be really hot in there,'" writes Sabine von Mering. But no one can actually understand what she's saying through the bear mask, so she just nods. "Yes, it’s too hot; for all of us," she writes.