I Get By With a Little Help From My Friends
The Sunnymont Kiddos all grown up!
Congratulations to the 2026 Grads! In my world, that mostly means the class of 2026 of Summit Tahoma with a few of the Notre Dame High School gals thrown in. We’ve been busy with all of the end of year activities and preparing for and celebrating graduation, which explains my delay in updating the blog. It’s been a lot of fun and I’m so proud of Maceo and his awesome friends. (Seriously, I’m lucky to have such superb kids and they are lucky to have such superb friends who I love like my own!) But of course, and this goes without saying, there is a gaping absence that is especially noticeable at the milestones and holidays.
In the last week, the digital overlords have shown me a plethora of memories. Seven years ago we celebrated Jeannessa’s graduation from Mid-Pen and her first Dead show. Four years ago Maceo graduated from 8th grade and we took him and Arya to their first Dead show. Three years ago, we all went out to Chicago to see Dead and Co. at Wrigley. Two years ago, Arya graduated from 8th grade and Jeannessa finished college after a “ruff” five years. That’s a lot of graduations and a lot of Dead shows…It breaks my heart to know we won’t be making more of these memories with Jeannessa, but it soothes it to know we made the memories that we did and have the pictures to prove it!
It’s also soothing to be perpetually surrounded by love and support. Today I am especially grateful for my Sunnymont family, particularly “The Ladies.” We threw a seriously rocking party for our grads on Friday night. It’s a toss up whether the parents or the teenagers had the most fun! The party may have been for the kids’ graduation, but I was celebrating 15+ years of the good, the bad, and the ugly- with undoubtedly more to come- with these caring families. We’ve had lots of fun together over the years- some thanks to Jeannessa holding down the fort with a bunch of kids so the adults could step out- and supported each other through the never-ending challenges. In the last nine months, our Sunnymont crew has literally been behind us every time in court and they are sure to be there at the next appearance on Friday, July 31 at 9:00am.
There have been countless moments over the years when I have been faced with challenges, big and small, since becoming a parent. Jeannessa’s murder is no doubt the greatest. My yoga practice has always provided me with a framework for facing life’s hurdles. Part of that framework is sangha, or deep, heart-centered community. Each and every challenge has shown me time and time again just how important a tight-knit community is. If there was just one thing I could pass on to my yoga students, and honestly anyone who will listen…invest in your community! When life gets rough, that investment will pay in immeasurable dividends. Words cannot express the gratitude I carry for each and every member of my sangha.
And finally an update on Jeannessa’s Friends. We submitted our paperwork to the IRS and they responded with some questions, which we have addressed. Initially, we were expecting this process to take up to a year, but there has been some indication that it may be coming a lot sooner. Keep your fingers crossed! In the meantime, we have established an Instagram and Facebook presence (thanks to board member, Sara!) and we are getting ready for our first event whether we receive our status by then or not. On Wednesday, September 16, we will gather in the evening in San Jose for a Candlelight Vigil and After-Party. Please stay tuned for details, or if you are interested in volunteering in the planning process or at the event, please reach out!
