Dear Valued Colleague, The enormity of "THIS" all has slowly sunk in as this pandemic has played out day after day. This unbelievable, surreal experience that at one point was thought to be a temporary disruption to our lives, has now become our new reality. For most it has provided a time of close introspection; a personal reflection on our hopes, goals and dreams and for some a questioning of long-held beliefs and values. For many, the new found "stay-safe-at-home" opportunities to reconnect with family, work on projects, to more actively participate in their child's education, and to work remotely have been outweighed by losses of varying degrees. To say that this has been easy on anyone would be a gross exaggeration. Yet amidst all of this chaos and upheaval in our daily personal - and work - lives, you have all found a way to balance your own needs in order to give unselfishly to each other, your students, staff and the community. I have been deeply impressed from the start of this health crisis with that unselfish willingness to go above and beyond, to be creative and forward thinking... even stretching your comfort zone in some cases. Please know that I too deeply appreciate and admire your dedication to our nation's adult education students. Simply stated, I am in awe of all of you. I truly believe that we will exit at the other end of this seemingly endless, dimly-lit tunnel with exciting new ways to meet the educational goals of our students and poised as well to help them overcome barriers and challenges to their persistence with their learning. The world awaiting us to fully re-engage will surely be a different place; one that I hope is kinder as well. In moments like these, we can ALL be teachers and equally eager learners. The sounds of laughter in the classroom, the tears of frustration - or even ones of pride and relief for finally understanding a concept - along with the joys of celebrating our student's successes, will all come back. Alas, maybe not as soon as we would have hoped, but when they do, oh the sweetness, the innate beauty and simple truth of all those moments will mean oh so much more to us all. Thus, I truly believe we have all been given an unique opportunity to discover what is truly important in life. Please continue to take care of yourselves - be kind, thoughtful and patient with loved ones and friends - and be safe and well. You are all important to so many - and to the continued success of Adult Education and Adult Literacy - and I consider myself forever grateful to call you a valued colleague and friend. We will fall and rise together as boats in the tide and I for one am glad we are on this journey together. Be well, Tom Nash