I started with this blog four and a half year ago when we moved to the US. The idea was to keep family and friends update about our adventure ant what’s going on in our life. The planned two years abroad became a bit more and the US turned into the UK. Out adventure log book turned into a family journal with all the highlights, challenges, achievements and curiosities daily family life brings with. Unfortunately I gave up with updating our yearly family photo books 10 years ago and I’m not very keen on sorting thousands of photo Therefore I’m trying to keep this blog updated with at least a monthly post. I’m not sure if my girls will ever appreciate this effort but I’m now in an age where I like a stroll down memory lane from time to time. So there will be once a good chance that they’ll go in for this too when they’re old and wise. And by the way a digital blog is way more environment friendly than a paper book (2 Greta points for me), oh I love how quick you can save one’s conscience.

A good friend told me once that there are two types of friends: the ones you meet on your way and you share a part of it with them and after a while everyone’s going their own ways again. And then there are the ones you’ll keep forever, no matter what happens and where you are. Yesterday we found out that one of the second group passed away. On today’s run I mulled over if I should write about it in our family blog or if this isn’t the right place. Unfortunately life it’s not always sunshine and roses and a family journal should include the good and the bad times, right? He deserves it. Only the ones who aren’t remembered are gone…

It’s kind of interesting what shows up if you try to evoke what reminds you most of a person. Funny, beautiful, an annoying fragments from your shared journey that makes you smiling and crying at the same time. This special person accompanied me close during a big part of my childhood and some of my teenage years and always kept track of my life and my family even if he chose another way long time ago. White chocolate pralines for instance was the first thing, I don’t know anyone else who loved them so much and could eat them with such devotion or spit them out disgustedly. No organ was safe from him. In every church he tried to gain access to the organ and if successful he started playing. And he annoyed us when he barked like a dog and started talking with his invisible furry friend. I often wished back then I was invisible too and now particularly this “barking” is something my girls loved so much about him and they were always ready to jump in until we had an invisible dog pack… And I thinks he’s the one why I don’t like potatoes and because of him everyone that cuts a bread from both sides will get an evil eye from me. Oh and there’s a gas station in Sardinia showing up, together with pane carasau, prickly pears and glass covered tables that collected all the bread crumbs. Cold nights at the Villa Brusada, gold fish hunting at the botanical garden and a flaming tartufo. Never ending walks, drawing paper, steamer trunk, the board game sympathy, flaxseeds, classical music and macaroons are popping up. The longer I write the more memories are coming back to life and that’s comforting. Dear Stephan you’ll be remembered, thank you for being a part of our life.

Rest in peace.