1. I love a quiet world. The pictures of the abandoned Venice canals and a deserted Times Square made me feel as if we were all hunkered down...together. Probably because we were.

2. WE CAN DO HARD THINGS! Lot's of beauty can come from difficult times. 3. Saying goodbye to your best friends is hard. 15 years of friendship that was NEVER weird, hard or angry is a rare gift. So are the 3 kids that came with them

. 4. UNO will never be played in our house again. 5. The death of a parent is horrible. I realized something that I always knew. I have not been as supportive to others as they were when my dad passed in September. 6. I never knew that death, although unwanted, could be beautiful. 7. Apparently things like wearing masks, you know, to prevent other people from getting sick, is political. Where is the love? Seriously!

8. An insurrection at the capital? Promoted by our President? Over and over again. I will never understand how anyone could have voted for him the second time around. The lesson? Pay attention. Every sign that could be imagined, was there. The tragedy of those lost will always be part of the story. For the rest of us? We get a do over. Three cheers for democracy!

9. The stress, self imposed in a mom kind of way, of high school sports is something that I won't miss 3 months from now. Of course, we are now onto college sports. 10. Emphasis-a leader must be moral, kind, empathetic and responsible. If that makes me a snowflake, bring on the damn blizzard. 11. Distance teaching is one of the hardest things I have ever done professionally...and the most unexpected. And yes, we want them back IN PERSON too. 12. Teaching is about relationships. This is not a new concept, but it is very difficult to do when you can only see 1/2 of their face. 13. I cannot understand, that when it comes to helping people with relief during a pandemic, or making sure that everyone has the opportunity to vote, that Republicans would not assist in literally ANY way. And that people can still support them.

14. Who knew that a President could be compassionate and empathetic? I did. I voted for Obama/Biden...twice!

15. I have a new love of English and Scottish history around the time of Mary, Queen of Scots.

16. Racism (this is not new to me) is about a system of trafficking, torture and murder that has been going on in the United States for 401 years. Notice the word SYSTEM(IC). This is not new. Having a man murdered by a police officer, 30 minutes from my home, that sparked protests all over the world, had better be a seminal moment in history.

17. People put a lot of bullshit on social media that supports people, causes and social issues, but few actually do much about it when it isn't in fashion anymore. 18. The number of dead as of March 11, is 527,726. More than all of those that died in World Wars I and II, Vietnam and 9/11. How do I know that? My President carries those numbers, literally, close to his heart. 19. File under the "unexpected". I am happy to receive and assist my family members in receiving a vaccine. An event that is discussed and celebrated as if life will change drastically after the afore mentioned vaccine is received. Science is amazing, but I'd be lying if I didn't admit that my fingers are crossed behind my back.

20. It is amazing to examine a person's "body of work", after they have passed, especially because many of us believe we are living fairly ordinary lives. Madeleine Albright said that everyone should write the story of their life. Maybe worth considering?

(Originally posted January 24, 2021)