Where is yesterday? When did yesterday move away from us? Now we have a new day that is unfamiliar and unpleasant.

Are you wondering where it all went? The casual contact with faces unknown, without any fear of consequence beyond the usual. The friendly hug, the extended handshake, the connection with others. Lost in an instant by headlines that continue to shock a nation, a world. Someone has pushed the reset button and we are now taken back to a time of unrest.

For those of us that have been there before, we are left feeling like we have just eaten a piece of spoiled fruit. We know the fruit is usually sweet but somehow it has gone bitter. The sun isn’t as bright, the birds aren’t singing as sweet and the smell of a beautiful bloom seems to have faded into a memory of yesterday’s freedom to roam about unhindered.

For those of us lucky enough to still be able to observe these changing times there have been some amazing examples of perseverance and innovation. For most of us, we feel the hope and have the determination to  keep moving forward. We have no other choice except to let it all float away like a leaf floating down a stream with no direction other than down.

We start with our core, our values, our inner strengths. We start by respecting the rights of others, we start by opening our hearts to those that are less fortunate and we end by making the world better from what we have learned during these challenging times. We make our world better for our children.

Cheri LaVelle