Tragedy to Resilience

If tragedy truly defines us, then the year 2020 is a whole Noah Webster dictionary. We have been tested, quarantined, socially distanced and masked. We have been challenged to change our attitudes, perspectives and every day activities. How easy it would be to get discouraged and anxious and even depressed. How much better it would be to change our focus and concentrate on the things that have improved our outlook. How grateful we should be for the thousands of health care professionals who have so courageously stood tall at the front lines. It’s also time to salute the teachers and parents who now find themselves with the awesome task of creatively assuming new roles with math equations and writing memoirs. Truck drivers are now keeping our economy flowing by delivering packages and presents while mail people bring letters to our doors. Grubhub leaves pizza and pasta on our porches while businesses are adjusting their hours to leave us equipped with the necessities. Zoom meetings are now a virtual fixture in our lives, and Netflix and television are now streaming movies and lectures and novel entertainment galore. You can tour Van Gogh’s museum, take a trip to Israel or Italy, take a train ride anywhere in the world , all while seated safely on your sofa. And if you were smart enough to invest in the stock of Quilted Northern, Angel Soft and Charmin’, you wiped up your finances quite well. Factories also changed their facilities to produce masks and ventilators to aid the cause, and donated food to feed the hungry, while many people concentrated on kindnesses to family, friends and neighbors like picking up groceries for seniors or sharing pots of chicken noodle soup. As we speak, lines are forming to get the COVID vaccine and protect our world. Thanks to a new concerned and involved administration. Together we have weathered the medical storm and found the spirit of reliance and resilience that will see us through today’s tunnel to a brighter tomorrow and a return to normalcy. Amen.