The End of Summer 2020

Labor Day weekend. New shoes, new outfits, and the usual trip to Target for school supplies, picking out new backpacks and crayons and lunch boxes; ... and yet, here we are.... ground hog day.

Labor Day has always been the start of a new "season" for me... back to school, back to business, finish the year strong. And yet this year, it's different. Another reminder that our "routines" are no longer routine. I mean truthfully, did summer ever start? And now it’s ending.

I know many children and families are struggling with virtual classrooms, I know we question the uncertainty of how things will unfold with the impending election, I know many are looking at 2021 and seeing either a bright spot that things will be different and better or a dark cloud of ambiguity, afraid of how life will change.

YOU have a choice, everyday. To find your new normal, to create a new rhythm, to honor your feelings of sadness and loss and to be in gratitude for the new experiences. It's important we acknowledge those around us too, including our children, that their feelings matter.

Life's joys will come from what we make of our circumstances. There are positives from the pandemic. There are lessons we can take forward. And the longer we lament the losses without looking for and being in gratitude for those gains, the harder it is to embrace the future.

We can work to change our outlook. We can make a difference in the world. We can strive to be the best version of who we are meant to be. We can be there for each other. We can show love, kindness, compassion, mercy and gratitude - to ourselves and those around us.

Enjoy the long weekend. xo