Yeah, I know, Spring is staring us in the face, and we’re coming out of a long dark winter full of isolation, social distancing and Covid 19. But this winter story bears revisiting. It’s full of inspiration, ingenuity and just plain fun.

One of my favorite movies is Contact, the story of a SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) scientist who finds strong evidence of extraterrestrial life and is chosen to make first contact. The film, an adaptation of Carl Sagan’s novel of the same name, stars Jodie Foster as Dr. Ellie Arroway, the film’s protagonist.

The Utah Health Department regularly receives information about disease and mortality to monitor and address the health and wellness of residents of the state. Using this information, we can compare health problems and health care use across time. This report also examined this information within the challenging year of 2020, looking at different stages of the COVID-19 pandemic

I’ve been looking for inspiration of late. It’s been a hard year for everyone, and my situation at home is more challenging than ever. My only daughter is facing major surgery to repair a damaged digestive system. Without it, she won’t survive.

“All of us, at some time or other, need help. Whether we’re giving or receiving help, each one of us has something valuable to bring to this world. That’s one of the things that connects us as neighbors—in our own way, each one of us is a giver and a receiver.” -Fred Rogers