20 Apr Moon shots

I had a very different post planned for today.

But it is the last day of this stage of formal education for one of my children.

And I feel the bracketing of their education cycle – a cycle that started on 9/11 (yes, the 9-11) and ends now in the middle of the isolation & anti-climatic upheaval of the COVID-19 crisis.

9/11 – Redefining ‘Safe’

On high school graduation day, 4 years ago, I wrote a note of thanks to each of the many teachers who had an impact over the journey from Kindergarten through to the end of high school – a journey that started minutes before the first plane flew into the WTC on 9/11.

No longer the parent of a minor, I can’t name each TA and professor.  But from conversations, I know that the child who left my home has enjoyed and expanded their knowledge, developing immensely, immersed in an enriching environment, expanding their circle of friends and influencers.

My kids are now adults and will go about making their own thanks.

But I wanted to add my own thanks from the sidelines because nothing happens in a vacuum.
And I also want to acknowledge the passing of the torch, the passage of time.

COVID-19 – Redefining ‘Certain’

And now, here we are again. With little to no warning, we are again facing uncertainty.
Only it is a generation later.

How will this affect my child?

So, to all the parents who are currently raising kids in the middle of this COVID-19 crisis, wondering how things will work out for their child, I again offer the following passage from the Kahlil Gibran’s poem ‘On Children’:

This generation will have a lot asked of them.
But it will not be the first time that they have faced adversity.

Our children will respond to the challenges placed in front of them.
They are resourceful and resilient.
They will take their cues from the adults around them.
They bring their own confidence and creativity.

Moon shots

This is the generation that will lead us into the recovery from this crisis and beyond.
We need a generation that is not afraid to dream big dreams and to make the impossible possible,
To aim for the infinite.

So once again, from the sidelines, I say:  “Fly – swift and far”