There are some life events that stop you in your tracks. Kathy and I have been spending six wonderful years visiting and writing about hundreds of wineries and vineyards. Earlier this year, we were encouraged to write a book and have completed the draft and had the manuscript edited. We are looking forward to publication later this year. We have presented at and attended wine-related conferences. In all, people frequently tell us they would love to do what we are doing. We should be gearing up for the Wine Bloggers Conference, this year in Portland, Oregon. We were in Portland earlier this week. Then one of those life shattering events took place.

Our niece, Katharyne Mary Sullivan, had been diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia. At 48 years old, she staged a valiant fight that was met with ups and downs. The first round of chemo was not successful. When Kathy and I traveled to Italy in January we planned to spend a few days before the International Wine Tourism Conference in Rome. We visited several churches and lit candles for our niece. It was after our visit to St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City, that we learned that a different chemo had some positive affects. The stats were looking better and a bone marrow transplant was done a couple months later.

After the bone marrow transplant, our niece read several chapters of our book about a wine journey. She was the first person to read the manuscript. The book is written for people like Katharyne. She liked wine, and with family visited many of Virginia’s wineries. She always bought a bottle of her favorite wine at each winery visited. Although she liked all of the Virginia wineries, Château Morrisette in Floyd, Virginia held a special place in her heart.

In July, the cancer returned with a vengeance. Katharyne decided to travel with her family for a family vacation in New Orleans. She and her husband, Alan, celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary in the love’s warmth of their three children.

Katharyne passed away this week and Kathy and I flew from Portland to the East Coast for the viewing and funeral. Three of our children were also able to attend and mourned for their cousin. Katharyne’s brother, Michael, mentioned that on the day of her passing, she sang “don’t worry; be happy.”

Our life now centers around wine: making wine, tasting wines and wine travel. This week though, we have come to appreciate life, courage and love. Kathy and I are planning to dedicate our book to our niece whose wine journey was cut short from AML. We are returning to Portland for the Wine Bloggers Conference and as we taste and write about wines, our niece will be close to our hearts.

Cheers,
Terry