How does one explain the feeling of loss?

I enjoy driving a road that has hills and valleys. There’s the kind of thrill in going down the sloping road and then, the thrill of climbing back up to the view from the top of the hill. Of course, I always hope I don’t gather too much speed driving down the hill and lose too much speed to not get back to the top of the hill. I doubt that will happen but the feeling is always there.

Yes, life is filled with ups and downs — we’re all aware of that. The downers include the loss of a beloved member of the family, friend or pet and the uppers include the support you gather from family, friends and pets. Hmmm…seems a conundrum, doesn’t it?

How do you react to a loss? A big question and only you can answer it so allow me to share a couple of recent family happenings.

My brother-in-law recently departed from life and is now on another journey … somewhere. It’s not necessary to relate his personality, but he was a darn good man — not a saint but a darn good man! We enjoyed many moments together and I’ll miss him. Notice the bit of downerism here?

Then my sister lost her beloved dog. The two were inseparable for almost 15 years and she was tearfully telling me how the dog stayed close to her right up to the end. I simply reminded her of one little thought: where else would the dog find support and love? Another bit of a downerism…

Following those happenings, I took a walk by a river on a beautiful winter day. The brilliant blue sky was reflected in the river and the glistening white snow surrounded everything — it was peaceful, mind settling and comforting. Nature has a way to sooth us — in this case, it was an upper!

So, how does one blend in a wine theme with such thoughts?

Well, since we are talking about blending, let’s try a glass of Gnarly Head Authentic Blend. Gnarly vines are those that have struggled and survived all the downers and uppers of their lives. From this experience, they produce a hardy and robust grape that is filled with flavors.

In this case, think of very tasty blackberries with cocoa flavors. Absolutely comforting and a reminder that from struggles, there can be another sun to fill our lives.

After finishing my before mentioned river walk, I sat down with a bit of Cupcake Sauvignon Blanc. Like the walk which cleansed me of some loss, this wine reminded me that there’s light at the end of the tunnel with its bold lemon/lime flavors. There’s enough of long lasting goodness in this wine to always remind me to not forget but to go on.

Let’s get one thing straight between us — I in no way say one should drink to solve personal matters. I am trying to say that in the dark of day, one can find some light in many ways — keep your eyes, mind and ears open to it. Again, seek the positive and the balance of life’s happenings.

One last suggestion: if it’s sweetness you seek, try some Ménage à Trois White Wine — a nice blend of wines that gives us nice firmness along with some marvelously sweet tropical flavors. The blending of Chardonnay, Chenin and Moscato should remind us to always blend life’s events together into a total image — not focus on one event no matter how good or bad it is.

I have lived with this bit of advice that I learned a long time ago: there’s a season for everything, a beginning and an end. Rejoice that you got to experience it.

May you have more uppers than downers.