A year ago, my former fifth grade teammate’s son died. The boy was just nine-years old.

I went to the funeral.

It was an absolutely horrible experience–one of the worst of my life. I’ll never forget it. Every attendee was mixed in tears, sobbing, wailing, and prayers, and I’m tearing up again as I type this. As a parent of a son myself now, those funeral moments move my soul to this day.

On the one-year anniversary of his son’s passing, he posted his one-page, daily homework that I’m summarizing, here:

“Tonight’s homework will be to spend time with your kid(s). This is required!”

This week, our lives have been disrupted by one COVID-19. In the coming weeks, you’ll have to manage an unpredictable, evolving schedule.

You’ll have to decide how you’re going to spend your time.

Whether you’re allotted extra time as a result of your school being cancelled or several other events being cancelled, I hope and pray that you’ll spend it with family, friends, and loved ones.

Time is fleeting. Tomorrow holds no guarantees. Indeed, it never has…

I'm seeing all these posts about virtual learning, yet part of me thinks that the only homework we should be assigning is to spend quality time with family, friends, and loved ones.

— Kyle Hamstra (@KyleHamstra) March 12, 2020