Wrapping Up

Anyone remember this lament?

“Now we have to get through the whole month of March before we get any days off.”

Because, well, it used to be true. September has interruptions, October has them too, November and December have more holidays and interruptions than teaching days, January has interruptions and occasional snow, February is short to begin with and has a few holidays…

then comes March. Thirty-one days of no holidays. No breaks. The idea kind of beat up on everyone. The month became something to be gotten through. Hey, in NJ, where I work, you couldn’t even count on interesting weather, weather-wise we are in a kind of limbo in March.

Then, along came the SOL Story Challenge. Five years ago this event was a game changer for me. Suddenly March had a purpose. There was something to do everyday. There were blogs waiting for me, people to meet via this experience, ideas to share. I began to look forward to March in a way I hadn’t expected.

But this year, March became the month that our world changed. Unprecedented. Inescapable. Unbelievable.

And this SOL community grew closer. The shared experience deepened. As our eyes grew wider our hearts warmed to each other’s experiences. None of us could believe what we were going through, but we were going through it together. We stumbled through March but held each other up by sharing and listening and responding.

I am so thankful for this community of writers. I felt stronger by our shared experiences. It’s really difficult to put into words but I know you know what I mean.

So March is a wrap. SOLSC 2020 has come to a close. We, as a nation, are still facing the unknown, but we are not facing it alone. No one is ever alone.

Til we meet again!