Given recent events of the school shootings, we all greatly benefited from coming together to hear your words. Your ability to speak on tough subjects with positivity, humor, and passion, is unparalleled. Your ability to engage with everyone in that room is a gift. With the school shootings and the scares we’ve had locally, to be seen when we all needed it was so powerful. I know it’s difficult to talk about these subjects now, but this is when we need them most. You are helping us all heal, or at the very least, I speak for myself when I say you are helping me heal.

I heard the kids around me murmur “He gets it,” while you were speaking. Your ability to take their perspective and hold the mirror up to them and show them their worth is priceless. I was floored by your articulate, deliberate, and purposeful word choice that bridged the parent/child dynamic. Both generations had a new perspective on their relationship by the time your talk ended.

Thank you for helping me to heal. Thank you for seeing me.

I see you, too.