03/04/2022
Walking through the halls these last few days, I could not help but find myself crying and smiling at the same time. Finally getting to see the children's faces made me smile; it was wow!
I just loved the infectious feeling of joy as the K to 3 students proudly marched in their word costumes through the corridors. Everyone loved Santiago’s word, bilingual. Students and teachers cheered their progress through the halls.
That word parade overwhelmed me and made me cry. It was sloppy.
As I park my car and gather my things when I get out of my car in the morning, I instinctively reach into my glove compartment in search of a mask. I have to remind myself that I don’t need that hateful mask anymore.
It still feels weird to be maskless; I am so glad to finally be at this point in our journey and I will not take for granted the feeling of being free.
We have landed in a hopeful place.
We have witnessed so much change over the past two years, masked to maskless, closed campus to open, curricula updates, changing reading programs, and more. I happen not to be a big fan of change; I don’t even like it when the sun comes out after a rainy day.
Cloudy days should stay cloudy; I hate wearing the wrong clothes when the weather changes.
And now, here comes yet another change. Randi Silber is leaving HANC.
Randi was the first person to make me feel welcome at HANC. I was perfectly happy at my former school but it was over two hours away. When I got the offer from HANC, my lawyer son told me that I should take it.
The commute was ridiculous and I was getting older. As he was absolutely right, I listened to him and made the change.
From the moment I stepped through the door, Randi took me under her wing and guided me through the ins and outs of the HANC system. 13 years later, I’m still navigating. Randi would patiently explain to me, someone who had never even attended a CST or a District meeting for services, what all those letters meant and what has to be in place in order for a child to qualify for help.
Randi guided my education, befriended me and invited me to her daughter’s wedding.
When it comes to helping children and their families, there are few who can match her work ethic and dedication. As a HANC parent teacher/mentor, Randi never wavered in her dedication and commitment to the school and the families.
Randi leaves behind a standard of excellence that will serve as a benchmark for those who will pick up her reins.Thank you Randi, you will forever be in my heart and in those who know and love you.
I am choosing to stay away from discussion of Putin’s War against Ukraine. I’m having trouble processing the news, the implications of the disaster and the destruction of buildings and more importantly, lives.
I am consumed with worry about those poor orphans who are looking for a safe haven anywhere; those poor kids! I can’t shut my eyes to the images of despair as I keep thinking about the frightened Ukrainians who are bravely fighting for their very right to exist.
I have decided, as I can right now, to feel happy about the good things in my life and the progress that we have made to move forward from Covid.
I want to keep moving in the direction of a better tomorrow.
Rosh Chodesh Tov; it’s Adar!!!
Shabbat Shalom.
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