Thank You: Becky Schwab Memorial Fund
Donation protected
Updated on 12/24/19
Friends & Family,
We must first say thank you. For the thoughtful cards… the gracious donations… the warm meals… the affectionate hugs… the shoulders to cry on… and, perhaps most of all, the seed underlying all those acts of kindness: for the enduring love and support over the past several weeks.
Losing our Mom has brought with it several new experiences. The events we expected to be hard — like Thanksgiving and her birthday — have been just that. Hard. But what’s striking is the feeling of loss, even in day-to-day situations. Like driving to work, for example. Nothing would be different, at least experientially, if she were still alive. But it is different. We imagine it feels something like losing a limb. Life is just different now, all the time.
But not all the new experiences have been negative. Through it all, we have reflected multiple times on the amount and depth of support we have gotten from our colleagues, friends and family. It means more than you know.
Before we lost our Mom, we scheduled a time to get professional family photos taken. It was part of her Christmas gift. Even though she couldn’t join us, we decided to still get those photos taken (one of which is accompanying this letter) and write the annual Christmas letter – also serving as a thank-you letter.
Miranda, Eric, Lydia and Grace are doing well. Eric is enjoying his new job at Shullsburg as a special education teacher and Miranda is doing the same in Lancaster. On top of demanding careers, with after-school activities and weekend trips to the farm, they are living the dream of parenting two daughters – never enough time, never enough sleep, but cherishing every moment with Lydia (7) and Grace (3).
Casey and Emilie (+Trampus and Paulie, their Maltese Poodles) are enjoying the east coast in Washington, D.C. Emilie recently accepted a new job and will be finishing her master’s degree in marketing in 2020. She can do her job remotely, which means she is able to travel with Casey when he’s on the road for his job. As for Casey, he enjoys what he does for the NFL Players Association and will be teaching at Howard Law School in the Spring.
If we’re being honest, the last two paragraphs were a little weird to write. As you all know, a Christmas letter typically focuses on the highlights of the past year. With the loss of our Mom so fresh, those highlights are hard to see right now. But if our Mom was anything at all, she was a beacon of strength for everyone around her. And she continues to be as we write this.
We will never “move on” from the loss of our Mother – but we will move forward, buoyed by her strength.
Thank you again, from the bottom of our hearts. Merry Christmas.
Miranda, Eric, Casey & Emilie
Friends & Family,
We must first say thank you. For the thoughtful cards… the gracious donations… the warm meals… the affectionate hugs… the shoulders to cry on… and, perhaps most of all, the seed underlying all those acts of kindness: for the enduring love and support over the past several weeks.
Losing our Mom has brought with it several new experiences. The events we expected to be hard — like Thanksgiving and her birthday — have been just that. Hard. But what’s striking is the feeling of loss, even in day-to-day situations. Like driving to work, for example. Nothing would be different, at least experientially, if she were still alive. But it is different. We imagine it feels something like losing a limb. Life is just different now, all the time.
But not all the new experiences have been negative. Through it all, we have reflected multiple times on the amount and depth of support we have gotten from our colleagues, friends and family. It means more than you know.
Before we lost our Mom, we scheduled a time to get professional family photos taken. It was part of her Christmas gift. Even though she couldn’t join us, we decided to still get those photos taken (one of which is accompanying this letter) and write the annual Christmas letter – also serving as a thank-you letter.
Miranda, Eric, Lydia and Grace are doing well. Eric is enjoying his new job at Shullsburg as a special education teacher and Miranda is doing the same in Lancaster. On top of demanding careers, with after-school activities and weekend trips to the farm, they are living the dream of parenting two daughters – never enough time, never enough sleep, but cherishing every moment with Lydia (7) and Grace (3).
Casey and Emilie (+Trampus and Paulie, their Maltese Poodles) are enjoying the east coast in Washington, D.C. Emilie recently accepted a new job and will be finishing her master’s degree in marketing in 2020. She can do her job remotely, which means she is able to travel with Casey when he’s on the road for his job. As for Casey, he enjoys what he does for the NFL Players Association and will be teaching at Howard Law School in the Spring.
If we’re being honest, the last two paragraphs were a little weird to write. As you all know, a Christmas letter typically focuses on the highlights of the past year. With the loss of our Mom so fresh, those highlights are hard to see right now. But if our Mom was anything at all, she was a beacon of strength for everyone around her. And she continues to be as we write this.
We will never “move on” from the loss of our Mother – but we will move forward, buoyed by her strength.
Thank you again, from the bottom of our hearts. Merry Christmas.
Miranda, Eric, Casey & Emilie
Organizer
Emilie Schwab
Organizer
Lancaster, WI
