Update:

She responded, and she said exactly what I wanted. *happiness* She also said she didn't think she had met a more courageous person and then asked what we could do to make coming back after the break easier for me (anticipating needs, like you said above EM, a nice feeling).

Anyway, I don't know why this all felt so urgent to me, maybe because of the long break, but it did, and I appreciate the support and thoughts. Hope you have happy holidays!