2018--Year of Loss

My husband stopped into the flower shop today. Since he delivers car parts to the store next door, I thought he came in for a quick visit. I was wrong--he had come in to tell me he had lost his job. After 17 years with the company, he was canned. Management told him that the store was going in a new direction, and effective immediately, he was fired. His friend was fired too, but he drove to a rival parts store and was hired. As I age, I know that my relatives age too. This year we said goodbye to two uncles, a cousin, the husband of a cousin and my 92 year old dad. One day I woke up and my 2 algae eaters and 2 pictus catfish had died. I followed the advice of a young sales associate at the fish store and added a new filter and a water change, killing all the beneficial bacteria that keeps nitrate levels in check. My poor fish. That same day, I shopped at the mall and two other stores and lost my set of keys for the stores. I have lost a warm red mitten that my daughter gave me as a gift. The weight of loss is heavy.

Student crisis?

This afternoon a truant officer with the school came into the flower shop to buy a bouquet for his wife She teaches 4th grade and has some difficult students. He hoped the flowers would cheer her up. I asked why the students were struggling. He answered that some parents do not want to be parents. He also said that students are upset with arguments on the national level. He attributed some of the causes to a death in the family, drug addiction and mental illness. This is a serious and concerning problem. Our youth are our treasures. We need to fix this situation.