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A special message from the publisher

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We keep hearing the word “unprecedented.”

The last few weeks have certainly been challenging, a bit frightening, and, yes, unprecedented — at least in most of our lifetimes. Everything has been disrupted — business, social life, school, and even religious celebrations like Easter.

The dates of senior class activities are changing, or even up in the air because of the uncertainty of what lies ahead.

But as Easter approaches I want to share some words that I hope will be worthwhile.

A couple of months ago most of us had never heard the term “social distancing.” Now it is a fact of life. Our challenge is not to allow social distancing to become personal distancing.

Many people in our community are taking advantage of extra time on their hands — even in the midst of fear and uncertainty about their jobs or their businesses — to catch up on things, refurbish their homes or businesses, or engage in all sorts of virtual experiences, from cocktail parties to concerts.

We can be socially distant but personally close.

Over the past few years, I have been terribly negligent in taking proper care of my lawn at home, beyond basic mowing. This year that has changed.

Lately, I have been out weeding my flower bed, which at this point leaves pretty much nothing but soil, but I’m making it ready for at least something.

As I write this I can look out on my back porch and see birds hopping around — they don’t know there’s a crisis — and neither do the squirrels scampering up and down the oak trees in my back yard.

They have been there every year, but I hadn’t really noticed them all that much. This downtime has given me a chance to notice beauty and wonders that I hadn’t had the time to notice before. At least, I didn’t think I had the time.

We don’t know the details of what the future holds. But I know this: so far we have been relatively lucky. Even in the midst of physical isolation and inconvenience, very few people in this community have ever experienced true hardship.

Let’s consider ourselves fortunate.

As I have worked on my yard I find grass or weeds that have pushed their way up through cracks or joints in the cement. My trusty string trimmer cuts them out, but in a week or two they are back — or at least close relatives of theirs.

Can you imagine how badly that plant wants to be there, to squeeze itself through such a confining space in order to reach the air above?

Life is tenacious.

Take the time to call someone you haven’t spoken to in a while. Let them know you care and are thinking about them.

It’s one way of squeezing up through the cracks.

It’s one way of saying life wins.

Life is tenacious. That’s what this season is all about.

Life always wins.

Love always wins.

I wish you a happy Passover and I wish you a happy Easter.

Randy Keck

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