No one ever says that middle school years are the best years of life. Absolutely no one. It is a truth universally acknowledged that the middle school/junior high years are difficult for everyone involved, but especially the kids themselves. I am fortunate that I went to a K-8 school and only struggled during my freshman [...]
I’m writing this as rain finally falls on the Bighorns. I speak for everyone who has watched the mountains burn; we have never been more excited to see precipitation and cool weather. My gratitude is overwhelming. Often, gratitude follows acts of generosity, evident as we watch friends and neighbors unite to help each other through [...]
I’m pretty sure I’ve packed more travel into my life in the last two months than in the last several years. BK (before kids), I was a traveling fool, and my passport got a workout. Once the first boy arrived and the second one followed, I was fully tethered to them and our local environs. [...]
My first involvement of being involved with a nonprofit was somewhat unconventional. About a year after I moved to Sheridan, my brother was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Scared and wanting to do something proactive, I met another Sheridanite who had fought and was beating the same disease. His family and a few other passionate friends [...]
Did everyone survive Thanksgiving a few pounds heavier but with familial relationships mostly intact? ‘Tis the season for ugly political discussions over the big bird. There’s nothing quite like mixing alcohol, simmering resentments, buttery carbohydrates, and long-term misunderstandings to make for unfortunate dinner conversations featuring raised voices and pounding fists. Here at the CVC, we’ve [...]
I find it mind-blowing that we hosted Thrive vs. Survive Study Circles on Poverty ten years ago. Ten years! My children were ten and seven, my face was unlined, and spare time was a distant dream. Now I have teenagers who drive, I read novels, and our community has Parent Liaisons, a Big Brothers Big [...]
Believe it or not, I can actually focus and finish a project within a specific timeline, all my procrastination and distractions notwithstanding. I’m not saying I complete the project with lots of breathing room to spare but I do adhere to deadlines. Such was the case last week when I was feverishly editing the Study [...]
I’m just going to put it right out there. Partially because many people don’t, won’t, or can’t, and partially because you’ve already learned all sorts of things about me as a regular reader of this column. You already know that I’m an eternal optimist, somewhat scattered, easily distracted, tardy at times, enthusiastic, and in constant [...]
(Author's note: The CVC website has been down for awhile so the blog posts have been delayed. This was originally published August 13, 2020.) Postpone. This is a word I have heard almost more in the last five months than I’ve heard the word ‘uncertainty.’ That’s saying something given our current times. The good news [...]
Dear Readers, today’s Word of the Day is unique. Or as my mom would pronounce it, you-nih-kew. Unique, no matter how you choose to pronounce it, is defined as being the only one of its kind, not like anything else. We all have that relative who can only be described as unique (looking at you, [...]
