The last couple of weeks should have been a welcome break from our boating life…
They should have been about transitions — from kindergarten to primary school, and from primary school to gymnasium.
They should have been about meeting friends, turning the page, and starting a new chapter — our new chapter.

And in many ways, the last couple of weeks were about all these things…
But they were also about so much more. About unplanned “big little” catastrophes. About fear. About love and deep connection. About the value of a helping hand and a hug. Once again, about the “village” we all need in our corner — the one that roots for us and carries us a little of the way when life throws us a curveball.

A week before we left, Mark came down with a slight fever. We didn’t think much of it at first. Little did we know things would soon take an unexpected turn as we flew back to Starnberg, excited to start the school year.

It may sound a bit cheesy, but things truly fell into place exactly as they needed to.
When Eva and Lenzi offered us to stay with them for what we thought would be just a few days in Starnberg, it made the start of school so much easier for the boys — and, more importantly, they were there for us in countless ways when things got “tricky.”
When Marie — our trusted friend and doctor — helped us, amongst many other things, to get Mark to the hospital in Starnberg. It turned out to be febrile neutropenia, and he was incredibly lucky not to end up in intensive care, or worse.
When our flight tickets were unexpectedly cancelled due to a technical issue, we had to rebook for a later flight — which, as it turned out, gave me the chance to attend important doctor’s meetings with Mark, organise his medication, enjoy a beautiful summer weekend by the lake, and simply breathe.

When my brother Pauli and sister-in-law Basi called — what started as a normal chat turned into a lifeline, helping us gather crucial information and make important choices for the future.
When I walked into the Post Apotheke in Starnberg, thinking I’d just ask the chemist for a quick opinion, I was met with kindness and competence that helped us more than I could have imagined.

And so here we are again — receiving so much help, feeling perhaps a little needy, but above all, profoundly grateful. Because, as hard as it is to admit, the truth is: we did need exactly this kind of help.

Thank you — all of you — for the kind words, the messages, and the thoughts. They have not gone unnoticed, and we are deeply, deeply grateful.

Since all this, we have taken some time off to recover – and we are back in strength and ready to take on, whatever lies ahead.