Summary: Our Story - an open letter to our listeners Welcome to The Meditation Podcast, with Jesse and Jeane Stern. Over the last few years, between 2007 and 2011, we received hundreds of emails from people, asking why we stopped updating our podcast, and whether we were going to continue. We gave the vague answer that we were going through personal challenges. Well, we've decided to take the time to explain, and today we ask you to indulge us in telling our story. Now, let's begin. In 2006, the year that we started The Meditation Podcast, Jeane lost her birth father due to complications from Leukemia. We were just recovering from the loss of a baby the year before in a late-term miscarriage. In 2007, Jeane's oldest sister, who was also her best friend, died suddenly from a ruptured brain aneurysm. Her aunt and three of her cousins died, two in tragic accidents (one at sea, and one on a motorcycle). Her adoptive parents, who had raised her since birth, died in 2008. Her mother died first from a stroke, then her father two and a half months later from heart failure. I lost my grandmother in 2009, and then my uncle died in 2010, after a long-term fight with cancer. The grieving process was compounded, and seemed endless. All of these deaths in our family took a toll on us emotionally, spiritually and financially. This also affected our marriage. Ironically, it was also during this time that our careers started to change. For one, I began to travel more for work. We both spent most of our time working and recovering from the years of stress and grief. Some of our challenges are not over yet, but we are learning to go through them. These years have shown us what is most important in our lives, and how precious life is. We can both clearly attest that what has not killed us has made us stronger. It was last year, in 2011, that we profoundly realized how much we needed to continue the podcast, in spite of our distractions. That's when we finally decided to re-commit ourselves to regular updates, and to staying in touch with all of you. We know how important this podcast is to you. We want to let you know today that it is just as important to us. Your many donations and emails have shown us how much the podcast has made a positive difference in your lives. And we will continue making them for as long as you keep listening!
