Lemonade from life’s lemons
By Stacie Chadwick
Having spent more time on this Earth than I’d like to admit, I’ve learned a few notable lessons. One of the most important is that, despite the most carefully laid plans and just when you least expect it, life changes.
When a bump in the road interrupts a fully-flushed endeavor, a natural inclination is to ask “why me?” and “why now?” Although these are both understandable responses, it’s those who instead choose to say “how can I adapt?” who change the world for the better.
Like many fellow Castle Pines residents, I have a Class of 2020 graduating high school senior. One of the highlights during this uncertain time has been the Adopt-A-Senior program, implemented by enterprising parents who saw an opportunity to innovate at a time of unprecedented change.
The premise of the group is simple. Put your graduating senior up for “adoption” on Facebook and pay it forward by adopting another family’s senior as your own. Brilliant in its simplicity and bounding in creativity, this initiative has brought smiles to thousands of graduating seniors and tears to more than a few moms and dads, all while fostering a spirit of togetherness at a time when we’re often physically apart.
From gift bags overflowing with favorite foods to yards filled with signs, banners, and Class of 2020 swag to Instagram influencer shout-outs, incredible parents throughout our community have gone over and above to make an impact on not only their children’s lives, but the lives of others.
And if you are one of the many Adopt-A-Senior transformers who has taken proverbial lemons and made lemonade? You’re special beyond the norm. To be remembered not because of what happens to you, but because of how you handle it is truly one of life’s greatest gifts.
