It goes without saying, the holidays can be the hardest time for families that are grieving a loved one. We are no exception and our time in Truckee has been bitter-sweet.
First of all, of the many family memories I have of my husband and children, the ones that I cherish most, involve snow. I have loved nothing more than a day spent on a mountain and then coming down to share some apres-ski with my family and friends. Or maybe, that isn’t really true, from the time I started skiing, I loved the entire ski experience, from packing the car, to the road trip, to unlocking the cold cabin door, and starting a fire, and waking up in the morning to snow. All of it.
However, yesterday, as I came down the mountain and walked through the Northstar Village I was very nostalgic for all of the days my family skied together, then relaxed next to the fire with warm drinks watching the children ice skate, and the deep winter day disappear, and the stars come out against a black and velvety sky.
Luckily, this year as we mend our hearts and begin to move on with our lives, we are surrounded by the best and dearest friends imaginable. And we are as the Beatles lamented long ago, getting by with a little help from our friends. And the strategy that I enacted in July, when I promised my children that nothing would change, and we would go on as before, and that consistency acted as a cast on a broken bone, or in this case a broken heart, and would help us all to heal has proven accurate.
So, for those of you who are grieving remember to honor the traditions of the past, and to keep the lines of communication open. I’m happy that my strategy has worked so well, I see my children smiling. I see them laughing. And I am both surprised and deeply relieved. I can feel the healing process beginning as we make new memories with our old friends.
With love and gratitude thank you to those who have helped us along the way.
Sydney 