To the Editor:

March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb has taken on a whole new meaning.

March turned our lives upside down. The world in which we live seemed to change overnight. With COVID-19, there is now a “new normal.”

This pandemic has tasked us all to think outside the box for working, schooling, communicating with family and friends, and everyday survival.

All these things we would have normally taken for granted in our world just a few months ago.

As a mother, daughter, neighbor, friend, worker and community leader, I have seen this pandemic from many different angles.

Fear is certainly a strong emotion felt by many; fear for our health as well as our loved ones, fear for our jobs and the jobs of others, fear of being able to provide the necessities, and fear of the unknown.

However, I have noticed that with this fear has come strength - strength in families, strength in friends and strength in our community.

There is a new sense of respect, value and humanity.

The human spirit has been re-energized as we all have been pushed to find ways to communicate and adapt.

During these difficult times thank-you for your continued support and compassion for our local businesses that are struggling, our neighbors who may have limited connections, your emergency and public servants who are working hard to keep your community safe and functional, our educators who are paving the way for new methods of learning, our grocery stores who are there to provide the basic necessities, and your health care workers who are doing everything they can to keep us well, this is just to name a few.

All these people and many more are everyday heroes, thank you!

The sun will shine through this COVID-19 cloud and we will be stronger than ever as a community.

As a community leader for almost 10 years, I never would have dreamed of a situation like this but what I can say is that I am proud beyond words to live amongst such compassion, dedication, and heart.

Stay strong, stay healthy and together we will get through this.

Christina “Tori” Morgan

commissioner

South Whitehall