Celebrate Every Hero | THE VIRAL Journal, Part 18
By Josh Jennrich
What does todays date mean to you? To some, today is the 26th day of Spring. It’s also the 105th day of the year. April 14, 2020 is Easter Tuesday in Australia and in New Zealand, it is Southland Anniversary, which commemorates the split of Southland from the province of Otago back in 1861. For many of us reading this, today is the day after Easter Sunday in which Jesus Christ was resurected. As well as the 6th day of Israels passover holiday, which commemorates the liberation of the Children of Israel who were led out of Egypt by Moses around 1300 BC.
Maybe to you, today is just another Monday. You’re waking up like most mornings, preparing breakfast for you and your kids, but because of certain societal issues, you’re strapping on your cape to be a super hero! Today’s task is to not only work your normal 8 hour job to support your family, but you have a new responsibility. You’ve recently become a teacher. Schools have shut down and it’s up to you to make sure your kids are continuing to learn the proper lessons and complete their assignments on time. You may feel overwhelmed. You may feel tired and stressed. These are completely normal feelings! There are millions of other parents dealing with the same thing. You are not alone!
Close your eyes, take a big deep breath, exhale, and repeat! For a community, a city, a state, and a nation to get through some of the biggest issues we’ve been faced with, together, it’s crucial to remember that it takes an army of heroes. You are one of the many taking action, working together, and staying positive through some extremely difficult times. In the midst of a pandemic that we know very little about, it’s important that we praise those within our communities that are putting their lives on the line. These are our frontline health care doctors and nurses facing the virus head on. These are our law enforcement and safety departments taking calls and keeping our streets safe. These are our grocery store cashiers and baggers stocking shelves, keeping us fed and dealing with panicking customers.
I believe within the chaos, there is an important hero that isn’t being recognized as they should be. So I want to shout out all of the moms and dads that have recently become educators. Keeping food on the table, making sure bills are paid, and providing a roof over the heads of your family members is a massive responsibility. This pandemic has added an additional obstacle: making sure your kids are getting properly educated, completing their assignments, and making sure they stay social with friends alike.
So whatever today means to you, I want to make sure that we are recognizing all parties involved in making sure we can continue to thrive as a community and a society. The education of our children is absolutely crucial in our current times. There are going to be some very difficult days in the coming future. So please remember that what you are doing takes some very special people, and I want to make sure that we recognize the impact that you are making. So be proud, be strong, and stay resilient!
For Goodness’ Sake,
Josh
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Our e-journal documents the COVID-19 pandemic from our viewpoint within our community. In the short-term, we hope it promotes connectivity and contrast within our shirtBOARD network. In the long-term, we hope it gives timely interpretations of the event to provide insight and understanding for future generations.
