Chris Croll

I never could have imagined two of the most horrific events in my lifetime—my father dying and a global pandemic—would happen simultaneously. My father’s slide downhill began this past Christmas Eve when he experienced shortness of breath while trying to wrap a gift. Several hospital stays and five months later, my dad now lives in an assisted living facility and last week we put him on hospice.

During this pandemic, we are all resorting to extraordinary measures to protect ourselves from getting sick. But the stress of worrying about getting sick may be enough to make us sick! When the body is managing stress for long periods of time, energy is diverted away from other systems, including those that fight off viruses.

A group of Loudoun teens recently traveled to Richmond to meet with their elected officials to teach them about dyslexia, dyscalculia and other learning differences.

Is this a journal entry written by a suicidal teen? Nope; these are the opening lyrics to the song “The Next Right Thing,” from Disney’s new movie, Frozen 2. Common Sense Media rates this movie as appropriate for children as young as age five.

I’m having my left hip replaced this week because of a degenerative bone condition with which I was diagnosed 17 years ago. I was in enough pain last June to have my hip replaced then, but my stubborn “I’ll tough it out” attitude, a demanding home life and two pre-paid summer vacations resulted in me scheduling the surgery for mid-November when it would be less disruptive. At the time, five months didn’t seem like a long time to wait.

Whether or not you have children enrolled in Loudoun County Public Schools, the upcoming general election is an important one. At least six of the nine seated School Board members will be new since six current board members, myself included, are not running for re-election. It takes five votes to pass any legislation, policies or other action items so the new School Board will likely have a tremendous impact on the future of public education in our county. The quality of our schools attracts not only homeowners but businesses like Amazon and Google.

“I wish I could help out at my child’s school, but I don’t have time to go in and volunteer,” parents often say. Fortunately, busy parents can provide support for their child’s learning experience here in Loudoun County without ever stepping foot in the classroom.

When I recently quit Facebook, reactions from friends were mixed. Several friends jokingly accused me of abandoning them, a few congratulated me, and others admitted they wished they could leave social media, too, but they just didn’t think they could do it. I’m here to tell you that it’s easier than you might think and there are many benefits to doing so.