From the Editor

By Stephen Sapp

When last we published Ripples (late February), little did we realize that that would the last “normal” issue for the foreseeable future (or at least the last issue in “normal” times)! It was so easy to roll along in our “everyday” routine, assuming everything would be the same tomorrow and the day after that and the day after that . . . And then along came the coronavirus to pretty much destroy whatever had been our routine and to remind us that the unexpected is always a possibility. So much has been written about the pandemic and its frightening aftermath that I certainly do not want to try to add anything here.

I do, however, want to offer a word about something we all need right now, and that is hope: Near the top of my favorite quotations about hope is one by the poet-statesman Vaclav Havel, the first president of the Czech Republic, whose writings helped bring about the end of Communist rule there: “Hope is not about believing you can change things. Hope is about believing you make a difference.” None of us can change the course that the Covid-19 pandemic will take in Reston, but we should strive to make whatever difference we can in helping others in these difficult times, in our own families if not beyond. At the least, we can follow the old admonition: “Be kind—everyone you meet is carrying a burden you know nothing about.”

Although activities in Lakeport Cluster have been markedly curtailed by the stay-at-home order, resulting in this somewhat reduced edition of Ripples, please enjoy these informative and helpful articles, and feel free to send any feedback or suggestions you have for our community newsletter to ssapp@miami.edu.