Year End Reflection & Tribute

Earlier this month, my husband & I enjoyed a brief pre-holiday respite at Mohonk Mountain House. My husband took these incredible photos there during the first-in-a-series of ice storms that hit the northeast.

These breathtakingly beautiful images evoke serene beauty and wonder, and I feel a similar sense of wonderment – as well as pain – as I reflect on this past year.

2008 has been a most difficult one for me personally as I managed to get through the first year without having my beloved mother in my life. She passed away one year ago today, and my life will never be the same.

So I look forward to the New Year knowing that I survived the emotional pain of this past year and hope the heartbreaking memories of her deteriorating health will begin to fade and be replaced by better memories. I’m not as emotionally raw as I was earlier this year, but the emptiness still remains and I miss her more than ever. A dear friend of mine told me what she learned about coping with such loss: “You never get over it, but somehow you get through it.”

I’m getting better in accepting the many triggers that evoke sadness (and, increasingly, smiles) as I appreciate the wonder of having had her in my life for a little over 50 years. In the new year and those to come, I want to focus more on happier memories and the profound impact she had on me … an impact that continues as she lives in my heart.

Best wishes for a happy, healthy, and peaceful New Year.
[Photos by Michael Stershic]

5 Comments

  • Sybil January 5, 2009 Reply

    Chris, one of the many great things about Mohonk is that being indoors is no hardship. There are so many warm and inviting places to sit and relax with a good book or engage in conversation. (And then there’s the spa …) Hope you & Laine will get the chance to check it out someday.

  • Chris Bonney January 5, 2009 Reply

    Grace and Aaron were there a year or so ago and all they had was rain. Wonderful pics.

  • Sybil December 30, 2008 Reply

    Toby and Yvonne, thanks for your comments. Most importantly, thanks for helping me get through this difficult year.

  • Toby December 30, 2008 Reply

    Sybil – please tell Michael the photos are beautiful and make a perfect backdrop to the tribute to your mom. wishing you more days of laughter than tears in 2009.

  • Yvonne DiVita December 30, 2008 Reply

    This is a beautiful tribute, Sybil. How dearly we hold our loved ones and ache for them when they are not with us. As 2009 begins, embrace the warmth of your Mother’s memory – and the wonder of having had her in your life.
    I believe, if you pause now and then, in silence, you will feel her presence within you for we are all the sum of our heritage, with the most precious part being those parts left behind by our Mothers and Fathers.
    Best to you. I am blessed to count you as friend.

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