Your Spark

The Events That Inspired "Your Spark"During the summer of 2020, I watched different news networks report the continuing pandemic. I remember one particular moment when Dr. Phil, Dr. Oz, Dr. Drew all expressed that keeping kids out of school could cause significant negative life impacts. They discussed how potential isolation could lead to deep depression, and possibly even suicide. Of course, we all know what happened when school started. The majority of the country closed school buildings and went into remote learning.As a doctor, I continued to take care of patients and I would hear common concerns from the parents. It was almost always, "My kids aren't the same, and they really miss their friends, sports, school and other activities." This was just as the doctors had predicted on t.v.As summer ended and everything remained closed, my dad and I put a basketball hoop in our barn and poured a cement pad creating a space for kids to play. Right out of the gate, we had 5-10 kids showing up 2 nights a week. As word spread, and parents became more desperate to find something for their children to do, we added more nights and new kids would show up. Day after day they came regardless of the weather! We would often have a bonfire just so they had a place to warm up.I'll never forget the phone calls from parents as they drove home. They would often say, "I finally have my kid back" or " I haven't seen my kid smile like this in so long."It was at that moment I realized that isolating kids, making them less active and less social was Snuffing Out Their Spark! Even after months of negative life impact, all it took was one evening, and their Spark began to brighten again!