25th week of school.
25th COVID-19 test.
Coming back to school after a 4 day weekend seemed to refresh a lot of folks. In case you don’t know this… teachers are having a really rough year. I’ve talked to teachers who have been doing it (and well) for 20+ years and they admit this is the hardest school year of their lives. Many different reasons for that… but at the base of it is… hurt people hurt people.
Our students have been witnessing the same a things we’ve been witnessing over the last few years… the death, anger, hate, disregard for basic human life, disrespect and celebration of bullies… and it has quite a few confused, angry at the world, looking to destroy things or people or in a hopeless self-harming place. Much more than years before because they don’t have the mental tools to deal with it all. Most adults BARELY have the tools to cope.
And if you slip up… it’s being recorded and your life/career/world is over.
It’s tough. Check in with your kids, they are not great… nobody is. Please make sure they are able to talk with you or a professional when they need to talk. And adults… find someone YOU can talk to or a professional.
There was 2 COVID-19 related deaths in my world last week. I knew one - a mother of 2 in her 30s, the other was the grandmother of a friend.
The first was a family who used to attend church with us. An amazing loving family who always made me happy when I saw them. Both mother and son have some rare medical issues and when she got sick with COVID-19 she never made it out of the hospital.
The other one both renews my sense of why I write these updates each week and makes me feel a feeling of “why bother.”
A friend is traveling to Houston this weekend to bury his Grandmother who succumbed to COVID-19. She was in her 90s. She got COVID-19 because her nephew (who lives with her) works in an environment where his coworkers don’t wear masks. He caught COVID-19 from his co-workers and brought it home… where the grandmother got it and died. BECAUSE A COWORKER WHO WENT TO WORK SICK AND REFUSED TO WEAR A MASK.
When someone wears a mask they are doing so in order to protect themselves and their loved ones. They are also protecting you and your loved ones.
I wear a mask because I love you.
I test weekly because I want to assure I’m protecting all of the people I interact with on a daily basis.
My test was negative.
In spite of everything I just posted, I remain positive in outlook. I feel people are basically good and we do care about and love one another.
Stand up to the bullies.
Ignore the trolls.
Tell your story.
Listen to others when they tell theirs.
Don’t be a jerk.
Lead with love.
If someone responds with hate, walk away.
Cause no harm.
Love moves first.
#lovemovesfirst
