A Note from Damian Winther

I have been working from home since Monday, March 16th….which happened to be my birthday! For those that aren’t aware, my daughter Hayden was born on March 15th ten years ago, so the social distancing order had little impact on the fact my birthday parties have changed considerably over the years. Instead of friends, adult beverages and music that lasts till the late-evening hours, the Winther household spends mid-March celebrating Hayden’s life, and I’d have it no other way as she was the best birthday gift I ever could have asked for!

It’s been a challenging month for our family as my father-in-law passed away on March 21st and the loss has taken its toll on all of us. As if Covid-19 wasn’t enough to create a lasting impression in my memory, losing Tom was incredibly hard for our family and it makes me so grateful for the healthy, happy and loving people I have in my life. He will be greatly missed by me, my wife Jill and our kids Camryn, Keeley, Hayden and Finley. His legacy and the lessons he taught me will continue to live on.

Since being quarantined, the girls and I have done everything we can to find new hobbies, activities and adventures to keep us all busy. My initial suggestion was that the girls make a decision between learning how to play the guitar (since I already play), the piano or the banjo. As you can imagine, they weren’t thrilled about any of these options, but Finley and Keeley are both going to give the guitar a try.  

Camryn and Hayden have been playing softball and basketball with each other in the backyard, garage and driveway as long as weather permits. Keeley and Finley have been painting and drawing like machines and the canvasses/paint that their aunt dropped off a few days ago are going to come in very handy during the next several weeks.

Our dog, Bailey, continues to bark at anyone and everyone that comes near our driveway/front door and we’re doing our best to keep her occupied.  The good news is that she now has attention 24/7 so she’s incredibly happy and it’s making us all love and hug on her that much more.   

It’s been a crazy couple of weeks and I can’t help but think of all of our Birchwood clients. I know you have loved ones, family, co-workers and neighbors who have been hugely impacted by what’s going on in the world today. I’m eternally grateful to call you my clients and more importantly friends. My hope and firm belief is that we will get through this and someday we will look back on this period of time as something that was truly life changing. I hope you are all healthy and safe and I can’t wait to see you again in person! I know I speak for the rest of the Birchwood team when I say, we’re thinking of each of you day-in and day-out!

Sincerely,

Damian Winther