Grateful for our Riva Lake Family

Day after day, for a full month, all of us in the Riva-Lake community have absorbed tragedy after tragedy. Mostly mother nature, and now one decidedly “man made.” This morning I woke up, batteries still charged by the Atlanta pool party Sunday and feeling great anticipation about the upcoming summer. While I was making breakfast for my youngest, I glanced at Facebook and saw an old Riva-Lake friend had notified that she was “safe” in Las Vegas. I put the TV on as soon as I got my daughter to school. The rest as you know, are the details of the worst mass shooting in U.S. history.

If by chance you were not personally impacted by Harvey, Irma, Maria or the devastating Mexico City earthquake, and several of our Riva-Lake friends were, you can probably relate to attending an open air concert. They say it is times like these that make us value the friendships and bonds that we hold dear, yet I honestly do not recall ever experiencing “times like these.” It may sound cliché, but it’s overwhelming. And carry on we must, for our children and for ourselves. We can find hope in the actions of the “angels” who swoop in and do miraculous and heroic things in the face of tremendous adversity. They far outnumber the cowards. I pray that each and every one of you is “safe” in the days and months ahead, and we’ll all meet again, with a warm embrace, at our favorite place in the hills of Tennessee.

Nonnie