The Best of Times, The Worst of Times

This past weekend was very emotional for my family and many of our friends.  We lost a young friend in a ski accident, and we gained a new nephew-in-law in a joyous wedding celebration.  In the course of 48 hours, we went through  tremendous grief and tremendous joy.

On Saturday, a classmate of my son Jamie’s, Josh Waldron, died in a tragic skiing accident at Sugarloaf. For many students at my son’s school, it was the first time they lost a friend.  Our hearts go out to the Josh’s family, particularly his parents and siblings.  No parent should ever have to bury their child. Last night we celebrated his life in a memorial service with a bonfire at Carrabassett Valley Academy. It was a beautiful service with a lot of love and caring in the frigid air.

On Sunday, my niece Abbey Prior married a wonderful young man, Jason Hutchins, in a beautiful cermony at Grace Restaurant in Portland, Maine.  It was also a beautiful service with a lot of love, laughs and dancing. Jason’s family is wonderful and they will provide tremendous support and caring for my niece Abbey, who is not only beautiful, but she is smart, warm, and caring.

The common denominator at both of these events?  A lot of love and a lot of caring. When it all comes down to it, no matter what we do, the most important thing is to love, support and care about the people in our families and our communities.