The days leading up to Christmas Day 2023 were brutal. I experienced a grief bomb that had me crying 13 times in 24 hour period.
I was on a work trip in Worcester, MA from 12/17 to 12/22. And it was there where I unraveled completely in the privacy of my vehicle and my guestroom.
I made sure before I left to see my good friend Dorothy Kim in Waltham, MA and it was good to be in community.
Upon returning to Ithaca I began to feel the wave of grief recede somewhat as though I had shed enough tears to invite some clarity of purpose.
I birded everyday including on Christmas. And though Ithaca had been overcast and cloudy for the past few days, on Christmas the Sun made an appearance.
Holding fast to my inner strength, to my purpose, and my devotion to the legacy of my son’s beautiful life I press on, anchored by the bonds of love.
Merry Christmas.
Christy Hyman 