...Today I received my second dose of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine... A door has been opened to walk through, but I fully don't know what is on the other side. The After is different. It's what we want it to be...

"...White Earth has done a tremendous job vaccinating folks from the tribe, but also from across the region. They've been vaccinating folks from the surrounding communities and we just wanted to stop here and lift it up and talk about how powerful it is to be a good neighbor..."

"...I have never felt such a calling to help people as I have since The Pandemic, not even because of the virus itself, but because of the pain and suffering and fear its sinister presence has had on our humanity..."

Full stop.

"...I have worked in all patient populations and things do get busier during the flu/viral season. With that being said this virus (Covid-19) is so different..."

"You have to act as if it were possible to radically transform the world. And you have to do it all the time." Angela Davis

"...I pray that I never get that call that they have been taken from me in a senseless crime. I pray for all people, but especially the African American community. We are judged just by our color..."

The trial of Derek Chauvin for the killing of George Floyd began this morning in Minneapolis.

"...It’s happening. We are all getting there...

Go get poked. It feels great!"

* Photo Courtesy of Melanie Shirley

"...The Pandemic showed me that I really need to invest in myself as a leader to be able to lead people through it. This meant reaching out to people and saying 'I don't know how to do this' more than once..."

"...It was so emotional to be in the Minneapolis Convention Center- it was filled with hundreds of educators (including my high school social studies teacher and another teacher from my school) and a feeling of overwhelming hope..."

* Photo Courtesy of Simone Schneider

"...spring was the hardest for sure. I am lucky and privileged enough to be back in school now, but what I lost in the end of my sophomore year and most of this year are things I will never get back..."

...Takeout this evening from our favorite Shish Mediterranean Kitchen (shout-out to Bebe Zito Ice Cream for the amaze Brazilian Chocolate ice cream. Who do you love to support? Try to get there this week and let them know...

By A Thread participants making my damn day with their Covid-19 vaccine selfies! Cheers to Megan Murphy, Public Affairs Specialist, and Craig Barrett, USPS Letter Carrier.

* Photos Courtesy of Megan Murphy & Craig Barrett

"...Today we were vaccinated. For ourselves. For our community. And for our youngest child, who has an autoimmune disease and cannot receive the vaccine yet..."

"...I’m still carrying a lot of grief, frustration and anger over the injustices of the past year. I can’t change the past and I can’t change most minds, but I’m changing what I can and I’m making the time to do it..."

* Photo courtesy of JD Fratzke

"...What I’m trying to say is. We’re not out of the woods, but the forest is thinning. When it’s your time. Get the poke. And thank Science."

* Photo courtesy of Bob Galligan

"...I saw many smiling eyes above masks, even as I jabbed them in the arm. Some folks told me of their plans to see their grandchildren after many many months. A joy filled day!"

* Photo courtesy of Angie Haigh, RN

...since the WHO officially declared the Covid-19 outbreak to be a Pandemic. One year of sanitizer, social distancing, excessive worry, masks, 6 feet...

"...The effect of The Pandemic is impossible to quantify. It's so overwhelming it's become simple because (my goal now is to) just help those that need help..."

"...It finally, truly feels like an end is in sight. I’ve had to stay largely isolated during the most difficult time of my life — a stage IV cancer diagnosis..."

* Photo courtesy of Betsy Graca

Years from now, what will we remember of our Pandemic Lives?

"...Being pregnant during the pandemic and having to care for patients in a high risk job added it’s own challenges, but I consider my ability to provide care to patients a privilege..."

On our hearts today.

"...I feel relief, happiness, and a little bit of sadness. I'm glad I'm finally able to see the light but I think about all the people who didn't get to see or feel this because (they died) of Covid..."

* Photo courtesy of Maya Robinson

...Was it the most fun we've ever had on a Saturday morning? No. Was it easy enough and in-line with our value of caring for our community? Yes...

Shop window, bottom left.

Black Lives Matter.

Walking the dog and came across a stack of Villagers, with a story about By A Thread on the front page! My thanks to Janet Lunder Hanafin for the article and Brad Stauffer for the photo.

After 360 days without setting foot in a classroom, my kids are back in-person at their beloved community school. This is hands-down the best day of my Pandemic Year.

"...Some of my clients are still dealing with food insecurities, housing needs, mental health and chemical health support and language barriers, to name a few. The pandemic has made it harder for my clients to access services and get the support that they need..."

A year into the Pandemic and it's maybe more important than ever to take care of your whole person. Which means maintaining those yearly wellness checks. And asking for help if you're experiencing anxiety and/or depression.

I stopped by La Boulangerie Marguerite (fka PJ Murphy's Bakery) to support Francois Kiemde & family's neighborhood business. Their rebranding is beautiful and their treats divine.

"...we have a lot of work yet to do... I truly hope we can keep a focus on reenvisioning a true public safety system over our broken policing system, on equity and helping those in our community in need, and speaking out against injustice—and not go back to business as usual..."

"...When I completed my Master's in Public Health (MPH) degree at the U of MN School of Public Health in the mid-1980's, there was a lot of emphasis on prevention in healthcare... As more and more of our healthcare systems became privatized, less and less attention was paid to preventive health services..."

Sign Reads: Anonymous Gift. Pictures Welcome.

Took refuge in a ticketed walk-through at St. Paul's treasured Como Park Zoo & Conservatory this morning. It was so lovely I almost forgot to snap a photo!

"...I had the experience of having COVID and it was a difficult and painful time. But. I realized that there are wonderful people with noble hearts who are always there to help you in good and bad moments. Thank God I'm fine now and I already got my vaccine..."

* Photo courtesy of Ada Zepeda

"...2020 brought very little new challenges to our country, but dramatically exposed a set of deeply seeded challenges that were always there just below the surface, but barely recognized, let alone addressed..."

Editor's note: Every family is doing the best they can in an impossible situation. Thank you to the Futrell-Carters for sharing how they are making it work with By A Thread.

Polar Vortex Mystery Art Installation at the corner of Summit and Griggs in St. Paul, Minn.

Art is radical. Hope is radical.

"...We kids need to go and be in the world to be good people and we need to go to school to get jobs and we need to see friends so we can learn to be around people. All of these things help us kids to be good people and we can't do any of them right now..."

In The Vortex of '21, we bake. And the cookies make faces at us.

"...I wish that people knew that many teachers are working harder than they’ve ever worked right now. I’m easily putting in 60+ hours of work a week and still don’t feel like I’m doing enough..."

NO WORDS. By Ta-coumba T. Aiken, 2020. Acrylic on canvas. Anonymous gift to the Walker Art Center in memory of George Floyd (10/14/1973- 5/25/2020).

May the wrongs committed against The Communities of Color and Indigenous Peoples of Minnesota never be lost to history.

"...The coldest day of winter so far was a big day for our family, as I took my in-laws to get their first Covid vaccine dose. While their vaccination stories are their own to tell, I woke up today thinking of my mother..."

* Photo courtesy of Chris Howie

"...I'm hopeful that there is a vaccine. But I am dismayed that there are so many people who aren't able to get it as fast as I did..."

* Photo courtesy of Val Rubin-RaShaad

"...The pandemic shifted so many ideas around community and support. While the mechanics behind how we engage each other has been a challenging adjustment, the essence of why we engage has been amplified..."

"...I got it! I totally started tearing up in line! What a year... I'm so pumped to see the kids tomorrow..."

* Photo courtesy of Sarah Lightner

My family and I visited the Minneapolis Institute of Art today. We were the 2nd group through since they shuttered last fall...