I have talked to many friends and family during the current crisis in which Russia has encroached on Ukraine. I want to know how they are doing, as I have been very concerned about their safety and state of mind.

I remember looking at the class choices in front of me. Math was not easy and the idea of choosing anything higher than Basic Math twisted my stomach into knots. In my early teens, it was difficult for me to see past the next school year and into the kind of future where the choices I made that day would have any impact on my life at all.

I’ve been pondering the meaning of being blessed after reading an article this week. The author of the article posited that we should not claim we are blessed when speaking of our physical circumstances (jobs, homes, etc.), because it would imply that people who don’t have those things (and in some cases never will) are not blessed.