A moment to reflect

I remember it clear as day.

Disassembling things. Then cleaning. Loading things into a car. Unloading at a new location. Getting things set up. Would everything work? How would we stay connected? Will it be the same? What kind of support was going to be needed? I am going to miss the conversations in person. When would we see each other again? This was feeling different. Ugh.

This happened in August of 2009 and again in August 2015. My wife Robin and I sent our daughters off to college. A lot of intense tactical planning and then the day came. That feeling inside was not comfortable, as we did not know what the days ahead for both of them, and us, would be like. It was a new normal for us...yet we always knew that they would bring with them the learnings and experiences from our family culture and we knew that they would be back. And when they returned for holidays, or breaks, they would bring back and share with us new experiences. They learned, they coped, and they grew. They knew they always had a place they would call home. It still felt unsettling, though, for us. I could not help but to think of the similarities with what has transpired at Gorbel® New York over the last two days. Deploying a remote work plan as part of our Gorbel® planning surrounding this COVID-19 situation, informed by New York State legislation.

Disassembling things. Then cleaning. Loading things into a car. Unloading at a new location. Getting things set up. Would everything work? How would we stay connected? Will it be the same? What kind of support was going to be needed? I am going to miss the conversations in person. When would we see each other again? This was feeling different. Ugh.

This was now happening in March of 2020 with different family members. Our Gorbel® family members. The good news for me is that our Gorbel® culture is rich and strong and runs deep. Like families or friends or neighbors with similar bonds between them, there is no distance or situation that can break the bond or the value of the relationships. It carries on yet in a different way. Even though there is some separation, we are all still here and connected. Like my wife and I experienced with my daughters, we will learn and grow from these experiences, together, and still connected.

Thanks to each of you for all that you have done that has prepared us for this moment. We will all stay connected and supportive of each other. I am grateful and humbled to serve such a thoughtful, caring and determined group of individuals...or better said, Gorbel® family members. Thank you Fishers, Pell City and Goodyear.

In the meantime, reflect on the rainbow that graced our New York campus on October 23, 2019. We are a blessed team.