Well, I am back in the bloggers sphere! 8 Months since my last post. It has been a long and rough 2020. My family lost a dear friend to COVID-19 just after my last post. We did not get to properly say goodbye and even mourn for that matter. I have had several close relatives battle and defeat the virus and we are presently in fervent prayer for my paternal aunt battling COVID-19 in ICU, Flint MI. I lost two matriarchs this summer. My maternal grandmother and my children's maternal great grandmother. They were 93 and 99 respectively. Black women from the Jim Crow south, they were both here to see the First African American President elected but unfortunately also here to see the election immediately following of someone so disrespectful of American ideals, values, and the history and struggles of Black Americans, descendants of enslaved Americans, immigrants of all nationalities and cultures, and indigenous peoples, it is and has been disheartening. My heart grieves the loss of an immeasurable amount of character, faith, wisdom and grace in a time when it is sorely lacking in so many representing the face of America.
COVID-19 cases as predicted earlier this year are on the upswing. While many have adopted the safety protocols necessary for slowing down the spread of the disease there continues to be a denial of the seriousness of an uncontrolled pandemic, modern day. We have lost sight of the reasons for the precautions, shutdown orders, and social distancing requirements. Overrun emergency rooms and packed ICUs, over worked and sometimes sickened medical professionals, morgues with no more space, the equivalent of wartime triage of non COVID-19 patients is what we are faced with as the year comes to a close. That's the bad news. The good news increases in cases is not so much attributable to workplaces meaning OSHA has responded to worker concerns and employers have gotten the message and are doing their part.
College campuses remain closed but I have been fortunate to continue to teach and instruct college students from home while managing not as well as I would like the homeschooling of my 6 and 8 year old granddaughters. COVID-19 has been a perfect storm for instructing on workplace safety. I can honestly say that students have really made the connection to how important safe workplaces are to the overall health and economy of our society and world in general. My end goal for this year is to capitalize on this heightened awareness and target the informing and training of owners of new small businesses. KYMS Consulting like many other small professional service entities has lost some ground but will hopefully bounce back in the 2nd quarter of 2021.
Finally as I close this brief update I will share that I had the great experience of working the polls during the 2020 Presidential Election. Over a four day period, I worked with a 12 person team of very professional volunteers who demonstrated the utmost integrity and respect for free and fair elections that I have personally had the opportunity to witness. More than half of us were participating as poll workers for the first time. We had no issues or problems, we turned away no one, ballots were cast without errors. Our poll location was clean, spacious, sanitized, and welcoming. While I can not speak for every polling location in this region or these United States, if any were set up and run half as well as we were, they were were on the money. Anyone questioning the integrity of the election process, poll workers, and voters exercising their rights to participate in this democracy might want to reflect on their own patriotism, values, and sense of what's right and wrong. No cheaters observed here, except maybe with those crying wolf.
And yes we elected our first ever Woman Vice President Elect! Kamala Harris Thank You President Elect Joe Biden for the wisdom, care, and concern you have shown for this nation in valuing the talents and contributions of all of its citizenry! I can't wait to see principled leadership in action.
On to the beginning of the Holiday Season. 2020 has been long and rough but I have much to be thankful for, to appreciate and value. Stay tuned.
