Page 78 - Southern Oregon Magazine Winter 2021

neck of the woods | theatre
f ea tu r e | he r os

OTHERS DESERVING RECOGNITION
Gallerie Karon & Gallerie Menagerie Numerous others risked and still risk their health in this season of
pandemic—law enforcement personnel, vital service workers, gro-
cery clerks, tow truck drivers—and so many more. Teachers definitely
deserve recognition. Adapting to online teaching has been a huge chal-
lenge for educators and their students. Individuals offered temporary
housing, emotional support, and basic necessities for evacuees and vic-
tims who lost everything in the fires. Many volunteered at the Expo,
at churches and other sites to offer immediate shelter, food, and aid to
those who suddenly had nothing. Others are tackling tough issues, ask-
ing tough questions that have no easy answers and seeking justice and
reconciliation where it is so desperately needed.

In the end, we each deserve kudos. Major change and disruption is
never easy. Parents struggle to oversee or arrange supervision of their
kids’ care and education. Grandparents have stepped in, as have friends.
We’ve reduced our social lives to nearly nonexistent, foregone family
visits and long-planned trips. Some of us have been sick with the virus
and recovered, others have not made it. We’ve wept for ourselves, and
we’ve wept with those who lost loved ones to COVID, who lost homes
to fire—whether we knew them or not. We’ve all had to struggle with
varying degrees of loss and uncertainty.

Affordable Art, Antiques, and Animals We long to return to some semblance of normal, yet 2020 will be a year
The Feathered Wing: Safari Room | Shibui Room we will never forget. As we move on, may we remember the kindnesses
we’ve given and received, and may such kindness be part of our new
500 A Street, Ashland • Corner of 4th and A St. • 541-482-9008 normal.

discovergalleriekaron.com And again, thank you, frontline workers. Whether you want one or not,
we offer you a metaphoric cape. And a huge thank you!
76 www.southernoregonmagazine.com | winter 2021