It’s hard to believe that April is almost here. The buds on my cherry tree tell me it’s true though. Spring is my favorite season because to me it’s a season of anticipating even greater things and warmer weather to come. I’m one of those rare Washingtonians that actually likes the heat and humidity – better running weather if you ask me. But I’ll take these nice warm Spring days as a prelude to even warmer, delightful days to come.
My mood this week was affected, of course, by the mass shooting in Boulder. I don’t really know what else to say other than it’s so very sad. What actually helped to brighten my week, beyond the sunshine that I’m enjoying on my back deck while I write this, is a few calls and socially distanced visits that I had with members. With the pandemic ramping up so soon after I became executive director, unfortunately, I didn’t get to meet everyone in person before it hit.
Yesterday, however, I got to sit and chat for a bit with a longtime member on her back deck. She has a lovely stream that meanders through her backyard and she told me of the gorgeous stag that used to visit each day from Rock Creek park before fences were erected. She also told me of her experience growing up in Britain during the war and then working in various private schools here as a teacher. It was such a lovely experience and it left me wanting to learn more about her and her life during such interesting times and events.
The afternoon visit with our member reminded me of a series of conversations I had years ago with a resident, Graham, of a nearby memory care facility. All I knew about Graham initially was that he was witty and had a wonderful Australian accent. Over the course of many months talking with him while visiting my aunt who lived there as well, I learned that he’d been Winston Churchill’s driver and Churchill had paid him to quit driving and to go to university. Everyone has some very interesting stories to tell! For those wishing to share a bit more about their lives, I hope that you’ll consider joining our writing group in April. We write memoirs – one short story at a time.
Of course, there are other wonderful events and activities planned for April. I encourage you all to check our calendar to see if anything grabs your attention. One in particular I want to highlight is Capitol Hill Village’s offer of a Virtual Healing Circle for Grief and Loss. This has been a tough year and personal connections, whether on someone’s back deck as I experienced yesterday, though Zoom, or even a phone call, can help lessen our grief and sense of loss.
Finally, I want to recognize that Passover begins tomorrow. For those celebrating, chag same'ach. For Christians, Sunday is Palm Sunday so I’ll wish you a blessed start to Holy Week.
