I am honored to be appearing this weekend at an event for local authors at The Read Queen in Lafayette, Colorado. If you are in the metro Denver area, please consider coming.
Welcome
Unlike other websites that are narrowly focused on one or more related topics, you have landed on a website that mirrors the unpredictable nature of life. Life can, at times, be messy. Throughout this website, Sandy Bornstein shares many of the lessons she has learned while adapting to these unanticipated events. Sandrabornstein.com is also the anchor for Sandy’s two books, May This Be the Best Year of Your Life: A Memoir and 100 Things to Do in Boulder Before You Die.
Since travel opportunities were limited during the pandemic, Sandy focused on one of her favorite places in Colorado—Boulder. Many COVID related obstacles were encountered while researching and writing 100 Things to Do in Boulder Before You Die. In concise vignettes, Sandy showcases a cross section of places that will appeal to locals, visitors, college students and their parents.
May This Be the Best Year of Your Life highlights Sandy’s once in a lifetime expat teaching adventure in Bangalore, India, and how she learned to cope with an assortment of unimaginable events and unrelenting culture shock.
In conjunction with marketing her first book, Sandy began publishing lifestyle and travel stories on this website as well as other places. To gain more traction, she launched a second website, The Traveling Bornsteins. This site exclusively showcases Sandy’s travel writing since 2016.
When people reach the empty nester years, they often encounter a host of medical and family issues. Some popular stories include tips on how to overcome these midlife challenges.
In July of 2020, Ira, her husband, was diagnosed with glioblastoma, an incurable brain cancer. After countless hours researching the best options to combat Ira’s terminal diagnosis, Sandy added a For Glio page. The stories posted on this page are created to inspire other people facing a terminal disease to embrace life and not cancer. In the future, Sandy hopes to write a book that will share in more detail what she has learned during Ira’s glioblastoma journey. After a three year battle, Ira passed away.
Sandy divides her time between the Front Range, the mountains, and traveling. Whenever possible she spends time with her four adult sons and their families which includes 7 grandchildren.
If you always stay in the security of your home environment, you will never see what the world is all about. So, take a few moments and join Sandy on her latest adventures. Reach out to Sandy—sandy@sandrabornstein.com
Book Trailer For Memoir
May This Be the Best Year of Your Life
“Sandy takes us on her personal adventures in India, with all the ups and downs and uncertainties of the unknown. She confronts social, family, and professional challenges with refreshing openness, vulnerability, and determination. I was right there with her, sharing both the anxiety and the joy… every step of the way.” – Rita Golden Gelman
author of Tales of a Female Nomad and more than seventy children’s books”
Latest Work
Sandy Bornstein NATJA’S Featured Author/Writer September 2024
Reflecting on my First Year of Grief
Three years of anticipatory grief did not prepare me for Ira’s death in July 2023. While my mind occasionally shifted from the present to a fast forward mode into the future, it was not possible to imagine what life would be like without the man I had married as a teenager.
When we stood under the chuppah (marriage canopy) in 1975, we were young and determined to fulfill our dreams. I finished my undergraduate education without any financial support from my parents while Ira attended and completed law school. Ira focused on building his successful legal career as I settled into the role of a loving wife and dedicated mother of our four sons.
While raising four children, I completed two graduate degrees—the first in Jewish Studies and a second in Instruction and Curriculum with an Emphasis on Diverse Language Learners. Ira’s long hours enabled our family to have an amazing life. We introduced our children to skiing, as well as the joys of traveling both near and far. Jewish traditions and lifecycle events enriched our lives. Along the way, we accumulated an abundance of photos and incredible memories.
Living with Anticipatory Grief
After Ira’s traumatic brain injury in 2010, I had an inkling that our lives would never be the same. Ira shortened his work hours. We planned an abundance of vacations after his near fatal ski accident at Keystone Resort. It was impossible to predict that a decade later Ira would be diagnosed with glioblastoma, terminal brain cancer.
The stress and strain associated with a traumatic brain injury, an aortic aneurysm, and terminal brain cancer did not dampen our spirits. Our desire to embrace life continued as we fought hard to beat the anticipated survival rate of only 12-18 months. Miraculously, Ira was able to travel during Covid and ski for two and a half years before a rapid decline occurred during the final six months of his life. We both had hoped that he would reach his 70th birthday which is today. (August 19, 1954) Sadly, he fell short by about 13 months.
This unachieved milestone is like countless other hopes and dreams that will no longer be possible. Ira’s death forces me to move forward without him by my side. I need to cope with my loss as I simultaneously plan my solo path.
In the weeks leading up to his birthday, I dealt with his yahrzeit (anniversary of his death). Both milestones have caused me to pause and reflect on what I have learned during my first year without Ira. Read More
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