Dear President Joseph Biden,

Dear President Joseph Robinette Biden,

I hope you are well, and ready to celebrate the upcoming holidays with reverence and joy. Lord knows, you have earned a few family days, in fact, I hope you have several moments when you are not worried about all of us. I am looking forward to a few days like that myself. You see, I’m a high school teacher of English, and I know for sure you understand what that entails, in terms of never being too far removed from your work life. My wish for the both of us is to step away for a minute and rejoice in the wonders of the season.

So, why am I writing you? Well, that’s a simple one to answer. I just want to say thank you. I get the feeling you might not hear those two words enough from people. I must admit, they carry great weight; I know this firsthand. Most days I stand at my classroom door as my high schoolers exit, and we exchange niceties as they move on to their next class, like thank you, or have a great day, or for those headed to play in a basketball game or participate in a musical or theatrical or dance rehearsal, granting a best wishes, best of luck, or some such salutation. At the end of my day, I am the one made richer by all the recognition and gratitude I hear back. But perhaps you don’t get such gracious greetings with such ease. So, thank you, for all you do.

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hope

We are in the midst of significance. After the darkest winter this country has witnessed since WWII, there is a new hope floating in the air, springing from an empathy from our leadership. Say what you want about politics, but soon there will be money in needy pockets, vaccines available for everyone, and acts of caring from Washington the likes of which will buoy this tired America straight into a better world. Today I see a brighter horizon. Sure the road is still muddy and slick and filled with challenging ruts, but with lifted eyes we can find the fulfillment of sweet promises that will change everything.

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gone painting

Oh man, with a most contentious election season looming, the very-needed post office undermined and left fragile, the deadly COVID19 still raging unchecked from coast to coast thanks to the oversight of the current occupant in the White House and his shallow Senators, the return of deadly forest fires in California due to climate change, never mind just about everyone you know out of work within a still declining economy, I say, whatever you can do to keep yourself sane these next few months, do it, and do it hard. Start creating your own beautiful vision for a different reality today.

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