Weekend Edition: A Glimpse into Our Future

If you’re ever tempted to despair in these hard days, let our children and young people remind us what energy, optimism, and the simple joy of living look like.They are our future, and we are blessed for that. Here are a couple of recent examples that may bring a lighter heart to you.

Stjepan Hauser is a young Croatian cellist known best for his work as one half of the duo 2CELLOS, his partnership with Croatian-Slovenian cellist Luka Šulić. In early February of this year Hauser released his first solo album, “Classic Hauser,” which includes this piece. He’s backed up by the London Symphony Orchestra on the album. Here, he’s made other arrangements for an orchestra: Forest Concert Thank you, Ruth, for sending me this uplifting video!

Meanwhile, I wish you could all meet our delightful neighbor Tia, a high school senior we have known and enjoyed since she was a little girl. Like her classmates, she’s had to struggle with the disappointment of missing prom and graduation. And because of her talents and interests, she’s also missing the weekly drama club meetings she chairs, her turn to direct the spring play, and her opportunity to compete at the finals of the Oregon State High School Thespian Festival. She and her partner took top honors at the regional competition, and were of course excited to compete at the state level. My money was on them: It felt like a Broadway musical had come to our neighborhood when they recorded their performance on Tia’s driveway for the virtual state competition.

It’s hard to be young and have so many disappointments in a row, especially on top of being torn away from daily personal contact with friends. But Tia is resilient, and she’s turned her sadness and disappointment into action. Here’s the delightful result (that’s Tia in the top left corner): Don't Stop Thinkin' About Tomorrow Great job, Tia and Adam!

As time goes on and we still don’t know when or how we will ease the physical distancing restrictions, we might need to work harder to hold onto optimism and hope. I’m thankful that we have young people like Stjepan Hauser, Tia Lempert, and their friends to lead the way for us.

Until tomorrow, take good care. And take heart. Our future is in good hands.

Love,
Nancie/Mom/Mimi/Grandma

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