A year in remembrance March 11, 2021

A year ago, today, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic, and in the blink of an eye our lives and our world forever changed. Over the past year, we have all mourned and suffered tremendously as the pandemic ravaged our families, our community, and our Nation in one way or another. It has impacted our economy, our mental and physical health, and things we that are yet not revealed or discovered.  In an era when we are often consumed by pettiness of our differences, the pandemic should remind us all, of the common threads and interests that bind us as human beings and the things that matter most, each other.

While we are not yet out of harms way, a warm and hopeful light awaits us ahead as the vaccinations roll out across our planet. While we all have reasons to hurt, it is our sincerest hope that the devastation of the past year will serve as a reminder that we must forge a new path together that chooses unity and reverence as it is our guiding compass. We give thanks for the smallest of blessings and move forward with faith and optimism. We express our appreciation for the life we have been given. Even during difficult times, we give thanks for the strength we gain, the lessons we learn and the times he guides us through.

So today let us all take a moment to pause and reflect in honor and respect for all those that were taken from us far too soon. We are confident that together we will turn the page on this sad chapter and the lessons we have learned will only further strengthen and resolve and our ability to preserve as we move forward. While we take a moment to remember those we have lost, let us also commit to standing together in solidarity to ensure a brighter future for us all as we begin the arduous process of recovery, healing, and rebuilding.

In closing, we pray for everyone close to us and those needing special prayers. Please bless our family, friends, community, nation, and every sovereign nation upon Mother Earth.