Good Morning Watershed Explorers,
I want to wish everyone a very Happy Holiday. I also want to extend my sincerest thanks for all of your efforts. I am so proud and blessed to work with such outstanding teachers and students. Your enthusiasm and creativity have inspired me to continue working hard to make the NBC Watershed Explorers Program the best it can be, even if it is virtual this year. I get so much joy when I see your faces on the computer and hear the excitement in your voices when you share your scientist drawings or nature creations. The old saying of "make lemonade out of lemons" never seems to get old. You all have made each lesson a pleasure and I am forever grateful.
I want to share a quick story with you, that to me really expresses the craziness of this past year, but also highlights the importance of keeping perspective. On Monday night, in an attempt to see the 'Great Conjunction', my girls and I completed our first ever night hike up to Mt. Tom in the Arcadia Management Area in West Greenwich, RI. Leading up to the hike, I prepared them a thermos of hot chocolate and snacks, we dressed in our warmest clothes, we packed our lantern and a few other necessities in case we were out for a long time. We got everything in the car and headed out. In the car we played some holiday music and talked about how excited we were to be able to see something that hadn't occurred for over 800 years. We were going to experience history! Once we got there, it was cold, the hike in the snow was difficult, and my youngest kept throwing herself on the ground as if she had walked through the desert for days without water. The 10 minute hike to the top seemed like an eternity! However, we made it. The sky was a bit cloudy at first, but then it cleared. After several minutes of observation, and a quick search on my phone to make sure that we were looking in the right spot, there they were, Jupiter and Saturn together, sparkling like one gem in the night sky. It wasn't the most glorious site we ever experienced, but it was, as my oldest expressed, "pretty cool." It was also a first that we experienced together. With all that we have faced in 2020, I continued to feel blessed for these experiences that I get to share with the people in my life. I continue to "make lemonade out of lemons". I continue to feel that no challenge is too difficult to conquer when people stick together. I will end with this last thought to consider, a snowflake alone is one of the most fragile of nature's wonders, but stick snowflakes together and look how powerful they become. To all my Watershed Explorer teachers and students, thanks for sticking with me. Here's to conquering 2021 with gusto!
Much love,
Mrs. Morissette