It’s been six years since I wrote something in my blog. I had stopped writing as quickly as I had started back in 2015 when I went through a major change in my life. So why did I stop so suddenly? I had lost the joy in my life. I had lost everything that I held on to tightly. My grandkids and friends.

Steve and I had made the very tough decision to help my elderly parents in Arizona. There was no one else that could help them, and they were navigating issues that were becoming impossible for them. We packed up our things and moved to Arizona.

We helped the folks, Mom struggling even more with each Covid shot. Her old and frail body couldn’t handle this new and unknown vaccination, and within 3 months of her third shot, she died.

My world stopped spinning and the air seemed to leave my chest as she took her last breath. Just days before she had asked me to take care of David, my stepdad who had no family and very few friends.

I realized that my life was still on hold, 1,000 very long miles away from my precious grandkids. The days turned into weeks, the weeks into months and I tried to not be bitter or depressed, but how could I write without joy?

David struggled to hang on to his new life, but he finally died a few months ago in November.

I started packing like fury to finally return to Denver and to my amazing family. I didn’t waste a second making the plans for a quick escape from Arizona to return to my beloved Colorado.

4 trips later with over 8,000 miles driven between us, moving it all by ourselves, a hernia operation for Steve, multiple trips to the ER with pneumonia and bronchitis, we were back. Back among our friends and family’

What a miracle. The love we felt for our friends and family had never dwindled and instead grew stronger with each challenge.

Now I have something to write about. Joy has returned to my life.