The Inspiration: It's a Long Story

My mother, Yvonne Jasinski, immigrated to the US from communist Poland in the 1980s. She and my father were both 23. My mom earned a Masters's Degree in Economics and my dad earned a Ph.D. in Mathematics, which was their ticket to gain a work visa in Italy.

My parents in Rome, Italy, 1980s

Upon their arrival, they swiftly registered as refugees and gained sponsorship to the US.

Coming from a place where travel (and toilet paper) was heavily restricted by the government, my mom was finally free. Free to travel, and live whatever life she chose.

My childhood dog Copernicus (Copper) and my mom in Pennsylvania, 2016

She was a confident, intelligent, and vibrant spirit...so was Copper.

Yvonne would say to all her friends, "I am going on a trip, who's going with me?!" Sometimes it would be no one, and sometimes it would be 20+ people. She had just as much fun either way because she made new friends everywhere she went!

I fell through the ice into a creek moments before this - Hazey looks nervous!

This fun and full-of-love chapter in her life lasted around 20 years and included countless friends, family, and multi-family trips with me and all my childhood friends. Inauspiciously, around 2015, she was hit with two hard punches: Divorce then Cancer. Age 60, single, with terminal cancer, she started over from scratch. That did not slow her down, she doubled down on seizing the day.

She quit her job at a non-profit and committed to traveling with her perfect new life partner, Norman, who is an incredible, supportive, and kind man.

Sagres, Portugal, 2019

Yvonne started a website to reminisce and cope with the memories of our happy family before the divorce, writing about past vacations, because it wasn't all bad, it was actually mostly good.

But life happens, and quickly the story changed again, and she started writing in real-time, about her struggles and her most-recent travels...providing life advice, beautiful stories, and pictures that allow people to travel vicariously. People were always waiting to hear about her next adventure, she could not believe her work was being recognized, what a time to be alive! One day I said, "Mom, how the heck did you get 10,000+ Instagram followers?!"

Burano, Veneto, Italy, 2018

Over the next 4 years, she traveled to the most amazing places on Earth - Iceland, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Greece...the list goes on. Her favorite place was Tobermory, Ontario.

Tobermory, Ontario, 2013

Then COVID: Travel shut down, she was immune-compromised, and couldn't travel to Poland where she received a unique treatment that was working well for her. She spent all of 2020 writing and planning her next trip: The Great American Road-trip Starting in Pennsylvania, down through Texas, around Arizona, and up the California coast all the way to Washington State. The link to the story above was her final post.

The trip was supposed to be 3 months. She made it to Oregon when her body failed to keep up with her spirit. A heartbreaking ending, so close to the finish line...she made the hard decision to turn home and passed away peacefully in her hometown of Scranton, PA. At times I can feel her energy when I am having a moment of peace in the outdoors, and it reminds me she will always be with me because she raised me to find peace in nature, and her spiritual energy is out there.

"The Inspiration" behind "The Morning Haze" is to honor my mom's legacy.

This is my way to cope, get creative, and tell my own story. Yvonne Jasinski (September 1958 - June 2021) Written by Daniel Jasinski, Yvonne's son.

Yellowstone Roadtrip with family friends, 2014

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Next post: Journey to Wallowa with Yvonne: Day 1 - Morning Haze was Born

Yvonne was sponsored by TravelingMom.com - who donated trees to Wallowa-Whitman National Forest in Oregon after being notified of her passing.