As spring dawns and the bird song that has been quiet for months returns, there is a stirring that takes place inside all of us. That feeling so long muted by dark days and winter winds is undeniably “hope.”

One definition of hope is: “a feeling of trust.”

We trust that each day the sun will rise and that each year the birds will return from their travels to fill our forests with song. We trust in the reliability of nature to keep its rhythms so that we stay oriented to our environments and joyful in our routines. This year required a different kind of trust altogether! A trust that our fellow citizens would make wise choices that would keep us safe, trust that our elected officials were working hard on our behalf, and trust that there was the science in place to develop a preventative approach to the COVID 19 pandemic which has so fundamentally affected our lives.

In October 2020, when hope was dim, Riverbrook Residence enrolled in a COVID vaccination program through CVS pharmacy. As the vaccine was not yet approved by the FDA, enrollment felt preemptive but indeed hopeful. In January 2021, Riverbrook was contacted with vaccination clinic information and the rest is history. As of March 1, 2021, 95% of Riverbrook’s staff and residents have received both doses of the Pfizer vaccine. Hope abounds! While infection control protocols will be fastidiously implemented for the foreseeable future, having the opportunity to proactively take back the reins of our lives has given a newfound sense of hope to staff members and residents who are determined even in the midst of great adversity to “lead enviable adult lives!”

Here’s to a new day of hope!

Rebecca Amuso Wendell

Check out our Spring Newsletter!