Opinion: Saratoga can be a city that chooses kindness

July always arrives with a blend of sunshine and sorrow for me. Fifteen years ago this month, my father died in a commercial aviation accident, a moment that split my life into a before and an after. Father’s Day and midsummer headlines—whether news of an airline crash in India or conflicts swirling far from our quiet streets—remind me how suddenly life can change.

Loss has many faces. Some endure long journeys through illness, others face the shock of an instant tragedy, and some grieve companions with paws instead of words.