The past summer was a blur. As the school year came to a close, we breathed out a sigh of relief at the thought that this nightmarish time could all be behind us. Yet, even as we took off our masks and made plans to get out and enjoy the sunshine, it was as if the weather knew better. A lot like the shutdown, storm after storm reeked havoc on plans and kept us inside for most of summer break. Then, the masks went back up. Before we knew it, school was in session once more in the midst of surge after surge of this virus. Even now, our worlds are being rocked again by extreme unrest overseas.
The rollercoaster has been so up and down lately, that I’m not even sure which way is up. Not to mention even if I was directed towards up, I feel someone else would reassure me that it was in fact down. (And it could actually be!) It’s such a confusing time. We still have so many questions.
How much longer is this going to last? When does it get better? Is life going to go back to normal? Is normal even a thing anymore? No one knows for sure. So what do we do when our kids are looking to us for answers anyway? What do we do when the eyes of the future are fixated on us for their very next move?
Regardless of the storm surrounding us, we are the ones who set the tone inside our boat. Our kids are looking to us on how to react, how to feel, how to pick up the pieces, and how to keep going. As scary as it may sound, how we proceed is everything to them. Even when they see us sinking, how we rise back to the top is what they’re focusing on.
There will probably be another version of Covid in life again. Perhaps it won’t be on as grand a scale, but we will all experience times in our lives where it seems everything’s falling apart around us. The days where even putting one foot in front of the other seems impossible … those are the days our kids are paying attention the most. They need to see us walking tall anyway. Because if they see us with our heads held high, they can learn to hold theirs the very same way. They are learning from us right now how to go on and fight their own battles in life.
There is a saying that goes, “Ships don’t sink because of the water around them. Ships sink because of the water that gets in them.” Now is the time to give our kids the tools they need to keep their ships afloat in the midst of the storms that will come their way.
Lindsey, you are the photographer who photographed my uncle Phil Harrington. Your photo is gorgeous. I just encountered it today for the first time. As you may or may not be aware, Phil has joined his siblings, parents, wife and two children in whatever comes after this life ceases. I’m hoping it’s a big, joyous reunification cuz the Irish in me loves to laugh and dance and party.
The point of all this is to ask if it is possible to purchase a couple prints of Uncle Phil for me and my cousin Molly. We both do genealogy research and we’d love to have this important photo. Please let me know. Thanks. T Sipfle