It’s Been a Month

During our first week back I’ve been asked countless times how my summer was.  To answer truthfully would have taken too long, and I didn’t want to be insincere, so I’ve mostly replied, “Okay.”  I’ve needed to tell the whole story, but didn’t want it to be the first blog I posted in the 2024-2025 school year.   Now it’s time.

One month ago today on July 13, the day after the Seed’s summer program ended, I received an urgent text from my daughter to call her ASAP.  She told me that her oldest daughter, Grace, had been hiking with her dad on Half Dome in Yosemite National Park.  Although certain details were still unknown, we knew that Grace had slipped and fallen around 200 feet.  It didn’t look good.  After awhile, it was confirmed that Grace had died.  

Since that day, our family has struggled to cope with unbearable grief and heartbreak. Grace was such a light in all of our lives, and it still feels unbelievable that she’s gone. She was a 20-year-old ASU student, studying to be a high school math teacher, and was on track to graduate in 2.5 years in December.  Grace worked immensely hard all summer, taking seven classes, while also holding two jobs.  She was scheduled to begin her student teaching in early August.  

In addition to being an excellent student, Grace was a strong athlete who loved the outdoors.  She and her dad were experienced hikers, and they had hiked many challenging hikes throughout Arizona and Utah.  Half Dome was on her bucket list, and she was delighted when she obtained a permit through the park’s lottery.  Her dad reported how happy she was to have reached the top of Half Dome that Saturday morning.  Unfortunately, their joyful moment soon disappeared as a storm moved in quickly.  The slow-moving line of people ahead of them prevented Grace and her dad from getting off the mountain before the rain hit.  It was then that Grace slipped and fell.   

About a week after Grace’s death, her story began to go viral in the news. Friends from all over the country reached out, expressing their love and sympathy.  The day we held her celebration of life, hundreds of people showed up to honor Grace.  This last month has been a blur of emotions and efforts to make sense of this tragedy.  It’s also been a time of deep appreciation as I’ve been surrounded by my village.   I have realized that the level of grief has been matched by love, and it gives me inspiration to keep living my life in a way that honors Grace.

She and I were planning a trip to Spain in 2026 to walk part of the Camino de Santiago.  The plan was to end our walk at Finisterre, a place along the coast often referred to as “the end of the world.”  Some of our family members are beginning to talk about making the trip.  Although Grace won’t be with us physically, I know she’ll be a strong presence as we walk and eventually gaze out upon the vastness of the ocean.  That vastness will hold all the love we feel for her, and for each other, carrying us forward into the rest of our lives.  

P. S.  In addition to Grace’s death, my 99-year-old father passed away peacefully four days ago.  I’ll save his story for another day.