Shattered Dreams, Heartening Spirits

…And we were doing so well!

We all know where we were right after LAB DAY Chicago—anticipating a very strong year for our community—and how quickly all of our expectations evaporated when this virus became a global pandemic. We don’t know what is in store for us in the coming months; we only know that things change on a daily basis and “nimble, adaptiveness and resilience” have become our operational directives.

Sadly, a refrain from the prayers said during the Jewish New Year resounds daily in my head: “who shall live and who shall die…who by earthquake and who by plague…who shall be impoverished and who shall be enriched...who shall fall and who shall rise.” There’s more but you see why it is in my head at this time.

This pandemic gives us pause: it is a time during which we contemplate our purpose and our legacy and wonder what will happen to the for-now-distant stable lifestyle we worked...