By Steve Moran

It has been a messy year, and for many, it has been much worse than messy. Loved ones have died, and others have gotten sick. There have been jobs lost and a constant overhang of doom and gloom.

But . . . this is not the end of the story.

I started making a list of people I know who have died this year and quit when it got too long and too depressing. Some died from COVID, some from old age, and some from other things. I do know the list has never been so long in any year of my life.

But . . .  this is not the end of the story.

Friendships and relationships have been fractured over politics. We had shortages of toilet paper, PPE, and hand sanitizer. We are more isolated and divided than we have ever been.

We have learned new terms and what they mean: community spread, social distancing, droplet transmission, the quarantini, super-spreader, flattening the curve, PPE, N95, Covidiot, Zoombombing, and so many more. 

But . . . this is not the end of the story.

The senior living sector is under assault. Cash flow is non-existent except for the negative kind. More companies than we know are on the verge of bankruptcy. We will see senior living organizations fail. We will see nursing homes and senior living communities close their doors. There will be lawsuits galore. 

And yet . . . this is not the whole story

We have seen heroes at work every day. Frontline workers and senior leaders who choose to put their lives and the lives of their families at risk in order to care for others. So many who have gotten sick and some who have made the ultimate sacrifice of their lives. They did this, not for a paycheck, but because they care about their residents and their team members.

This is you, each of you readers.

Greater Things Are Coming . . .

In my life . . .

I have never been prouder of our small team at Senior Living Foresight, Brooke, Leigh Ann, Lola, Rebecca, Joanne, Susan, Jack, and Pam who each week strive to make senior living a better place for residents and team members.

My family has celebrated a new grandbaby, Morgan, who joined us on New Year’s Eve last year. We started a new family tradition of dinner together and a hot and heavy game of dominos every Friday evening.

For me, the single most important thing I do when I wake up in the morning is remember that I have health, family, food on the table, a roof over my head, and wonderful friends. And that, for that day, it is enough, more than enough, a wonderful bountiful blessing.

In a normal year, I attend 20 conferences and have thousands of conversations. It means thousands of holes in my heart for those missed shared experiences. My heart is warmed by your commitment to your teams, your residents, and your organizations.

We are on the cusp of a new beginning. This is our opportunity to reinvent senior living, to be the best we can be, to help our residents live amazing last chapters, and to help our teams dream big and realize those dreams.

It sounds kind of sappy, but I miss you, I admire you . . . I love each of you for what you contribute to the world. I am looking forward to 2021 and a new beginning where, together, we will continue to change the world.