Roz Strategies JULY AUGUST 2018

FOOD FOR THOUGHT: BY ROSLYN ROZBRUCH It Takes a Village

I had a hard time writing my column this month. Not because I didn’t have something to say, but more like — should I share this or not? Then I realized, if there’s anything that’s universal with us all it’s the struggles we face in life. Of course, it’s one thing to undertake a challenge when it’s a goal you want to reach, and it’s another when life punches you in the face and breaks your nose. And this month, I’m talking about the blow to the face. Many of you have shared your life punches with me, and I admire your strength, courage, and grace for how you’ve handled them. Overall, I have to say my family and business are great. If you’ve read Michael’s cover story, then you know our daughter is engaged to a wonderful young man — that’s the good news. What’s interesting about life is it isn’t equal all the way around. So, while I’m celebrating on one side, I’m mourning on the other because my brother- in-law Bill, my sister Donna’s husband of 32 years, was killed in a car accident a few months ago. It’s my sister and niece, Sarah, who are doing most of the mourning, but for me it’s like a big elephant in the room to not say anything. I know I usually write an upbeat column, and this was hard for me to share, but more than the tragedy, part of life changing without a moment’s notice is how one moves forward afterward. My focus has been to be there for Donna, which includes spending time with her and Sarah, calling Donna on the phone, and listening to her rather than telling her what she should be doing. What I’ve noticed to be the biggest healing factor for anyone dealing with devastation is the people who show up for us without us asking. As soon as I heard the news of what happened to Bill, I drove straight to Donna’s house, and the first thing I noticed when I walked through the door of her house that ill-fated night was a room full of her close friends.

children, applies to more than children to me, because whether it’s a village or a community, having the support of others in our darkest hour is essential to healing. Donna has shared with me how much it’s meant to her to have her friends (and me too) take care of her in many ways, from bringing food to her house, picking her up to drive her somewhere, and much more. I understand how grateful she is for the people in her life because I also feel grateful for the friends I have in my life, especially my women friends who have been there for me not only when I’m celebrating life, but also when life has hit me upside the head. No one goes through life living it perfectly. It’s comforting to know that when there is tragedy on one side, there is love, caring, and support on the other side. It certainly gives me comfort to see how Donna and Sarah’s village was there for them then, and how they continue to be there for them now.

The phrase “It takes a village,” which Hillary Rodham Clinton is famous for saying in regard to raising our

–Roslyn Rozbruch

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