Marie Colello Hanson 9/27/1956 – 7/2011

It’s been a month and a half since Marie’s remains were found less than a half a mile from her last camp. She was found near Big Creek, a few hundred yards from the waterfall, near a trail, within shouting distance of the 3220 road. At least two groups of searchers had been through the area previously, but she was very hard to find. The autopsy was inconclusive, we are still awaiting the toxicology results.  Thank God for the small group who persisted in following their instincts and found her.

It’s been a long 4 and a half months for Marie’s family and friends. The frantic pace of the first three months, when everyone was working 24 hours a day in fifth gear has slowed, the fiery pain of the fourth month has dimmed only slightly, and the family is now tumbling through the world of “what if’s” and “why didn’ts”. It hurts. It hurts so much it feels as if we will never recover. Our loved ones and  friends tell us it will get easier, get better, our memories will eventually turn to the good times, the first holiday season is the hardest, but we are finding that the progress is so slow, moving at the speed of glaciers, that it seems that time of “no pain” will never come. The fact is; we miss Marie. We miss her smile, her hugs, her phone calls, her wise cracking humor, her love and it is especially hard today.  Yes,  the first holiday is the hardest, but we still have little kids who need the sparkle of this time of year. We will survive, we will celebrate, we have each other and our memories of Marie to help us through these hard times.

It is Thanksgiving Day. We are so thankful for so much.

• We are thankful that Marie was found before the first snow fall.
• We are thankful for our loving family, who is even closer after this horrific experience.
• We are thankful for Marie’s grandchildren, who can still make us smile and laugh.
• We are thankful for our spouses, who love us no matter how dismal we feel.
• We are thankful for the new friends who have joined our family.
• We are thankful for the searchers who gave up their lives to continue to search.
•  We are thankful for the South Lake Tahoe Police and Skamainia Sheriffs officers who helped and continue to support us.
• We are thankful for our Lake Tahoe community, our church community and our special friends in the media who were there when we needed them, before we even asked.
• We are thankful for the families of other missing persons who took time from their pain and grief to guide us and support us in our loss.
• We are thankful for the Rainbow Family, who have made us a part of their family, who belived because we believed.
• We are thankful for our employers, who gave us the time that we needed to get through the hardest times.
• We are thankful for the hundreds, which grew to thousands of  friends who have helped us.
• And we are thankful for those who devoted their lives to us for three months, and who continue to support us in every way while we grieve.

Some I’m sure would feel that their effort was insignificant, those who ‘shared’ our story on Facebook, or through an email, or donated a couple of dollars, or held our hands. Everything helped.  Thank you. Thank you so much.  We love you all.

Now is the time that many would lecture, we will not. You are good people, you know in your hearts what to do. Marie did every day.  Hold them close, tell them you love them, offer to help and then do something anyway, take an extra moment so they know you care. You showed us and it kept us strong, kept us hopeful, kept us going. There are others out there who need your love, your help, your support, a kind word, who may not even know how to ask, look for them today, and tomorrow and do what you can for them.

Thank you for everything you have done for us, thank you.

Happy Thanksgiving.