In Memory

We got the news that a good friend from Michigan left us Friday night. Kristen Ross died of multiple myeloma, leaving her husband Gunnar, her parents, sister and brother, and her two children behind.

I suppose I have my way of processing grief, and that is to revisit something particularly cool about that person. So I'm posting my favorite pictures of Kristen from the time we lived in Michgan. It was one of my favorite things we did with them, and one of the coolest and most memorable things from our time up north--they took us to a luge track.Kristen and Gunnar took us across the state to a luge track that is/was an olympic training facility, and we went luging. Kristen calmly informed me the week before to be sure to wear all natural fibers in my clothes because the friction from the ice might melt synthetic ones to my skin (!!). She's holding a luge in this picture.

Here's Kristen on the track. She was really a beautiful woman, but to this day, when I think of her, I always picture her in that crazy silver helmet that probably could be seen from space.... and yes, the luge is just as unnerving as this picture makes it look.

Here's Kristen (on the right) with her sister.

Kristen was a good person and a good friend. She had a great sense of humor. She and Gunnar were and continue to be examples to us. I was blessed to have known her.