The Skillman Foundation

We are here.  

We made it.  

We are here. 

Here through office flood and office reimagining.  
From board meeting to new meaning. 
Here with bigger love due to new babies,
and quieter love due to lost family members.  
Here through sabbaticals and health battles and new wellness journeys
across so many terrains.  

We are here through sliding doors of past and future. 
We are here with more questions than answers,
with our middle of the night worries and early morning drives
under the marvel of Michigan skies. 

It is December. It has been a whole year. And we are here. 

Before we go. Before we close the laptop with the OOO message blinking.
Before the office lights go out, the Teams chat quiets down,
the Zoom window darkens and fades…

Do one more thing.

Remember the blessing of everything ahead of you in the new year. 

The blessing of discovering something you never knew about yourself.  

Remember there is a book awaiting you that will take you
to a place you’ve never been but feels completely nostalgic. 

Remember there are people who you don’t yet know
but who will become dear, dear friends. 

Know that at some point next year
you will dance awkwardly at a wedding until your jam comes on
and then all bets are off. 

Remember you will hear someone speak about
something they are passionate about and
you will catch that passion like a bouquet. 

Remember that you will hear a song for the first time and
wonder how you lived your whole life without it.  

And never, ever forget that you will learn new language from Gen Z
that will stump and delight you.

And you can be sure that you will be teased relentlessly by Gen Z
for your outdated language and likely your hairstyle and clothes.  

Remember that you will witness an act of sheer bravery –
and then remember that it will likely be you,
who will commit that act.
Not once, not twice, but remember you will be here again,
you will be brave again and again,
and you will change the world in countless, miraculous ways. 

Here’s to the New Year
and to all that awaits us. 

See last year’s poem by Angelique here