Dear Harpeth Hills,

Tender. That is one word to describe us right now. We are tender to the touch.

• A mom worries about her 25 year-old daughter who is an ER nurse.
• A daughter checks on her parents in the nursing home twice a day, by phone only.
• Parents drop their 18 year-old at the hospital for an appendectomy, not to see her until she leaves the hospital the next day.
• Grandparents only see the grands via Facetime.
• A dad looks at the checking account balance and sighs.

And then we are also Thankful.

• The professor tears up on the Zoom call, happy to see her students.
• Little ones are excited to have mom and dad around.
• The shopper thanks the bag boy at the grocery store. A genuine thanks.
• We give a friendly nod to the police officer.
• Our 16 year-old complains not once about a ruined coronavirus birthday.

The two words are connected. When we are tender, we are especially thankful.

I love you,

—Chris Smith