Good Monday morning, friends. I hope that you, your families, and your programs are being diligent in observing suggested practices for containing the spread of the coronavirus and COVID-19. This is an exceedingly exhausting and disheartening time in our history. Many of us are experiencing a deepening malaise as the pandemic persists, systemic racism continues, our country remains divided with an election in less than 30 days, while our responsibilities at work and home do not relent. This calls for perseverance that some days seems too much to ask, too difficult to muster, or too elusive to find.

 

And yet, when we engage the beauty all around us and each other in caring and hopeful ways, we find the ability to move through these grinding days. First, it starts with us, right? Do something to remind yourself of the beauty in your world. For instance, last night I looked at the sky; the moon was full and the skies clear. Planets shone brighter than stars and the air smelt crisp. In Texas, high summer quickly transitions to a brief but beautiful fall. Intermittent waves of heat and dry weather will likely return, so it is all important that I allow myself the time to revel in the cool air, and the energy I gain from it.