This winter and what it teaches us

Cherubs:

It's been a toughie for those of us residing in the northern part of the USA. It's been a toughie for those of us residing in the southern part of the USA also.

The hard part is, when the storm comes up the coast from the south, we get bashed here in New England, we get bashed badly. And my humble little town is right in the path of the bashing.

So, because I am instructional designer and because I care about learning, I always ask this question -- "What can we learn from this?"

We learn about resiliance. Resiliance is a wonderful word, that describes our ability to cope, to persevere, to endure, to even improve. Yes, resiliance.

I have improved my ability to get up in the morning. Yes, contracting has improved that (no work, no pay) as well as my ability to say ok, this is what must be faced during the next storm.

I have improved my ability to think positively, "well perhaps this last storm will not crush my house", that kind of thinking.

I have improved my ability to understand what human beings can endure. And this brings me to my daughter who is enduring many things.

She is a young adult, and so needs my assistance to help her forward. This is an obligation all of us have who are parenting young adults. Remember, their world is not the same as our world of more than 30 years ago. We had no internet, we had no "social network" save that which we could experience in the eye, face to face. We had dances, dates, interactions, but not this kind of removed from direct interaction, ummm interaction.

We must adapt.

We must understand.

And Facebook, for me, has assisted me in doing that. Many of my highschool connections have now evolved into ummm for want of a better word "real people". We are compassionate, loving and caring. Our lives as human beings have caused us to be so. But we may not have been so back in high school. But we are now, and I guess that is all that matters. And we have rediscovered each other in this new state. How wonderful is that?

I am grateful to Mr. Zuckerman for this opportunity. And it also causes me to understand my daughter and her social connections. I am here for her, and I am here for you.

With all my love, from my wintery world.

Dearest cherubs. Goodnight.