I am sitting in a classroom thinking about you. Which is rare for me. I hope that our family has taken some initiative to do something about changing society instead of building robots and large houses.

I hope, as your father, I’ve done enough to instill within you how science is a wonderful adventure.

I hope that people are still enjoying the wonders that nature has to offer.

I want you to hear the whispers of the seasons changing. The rustling of leaves as they gracefully cascade down from their limbs in the fall, birds singing in spring, and frogs that serenade the summer night.

Last year most of the world’s reefs turned white at some point, but because it was underwater you and your friends didn’t see.

I want you to be prepared for the world that the generations before you are creating for you. I love you Lucienne, and I will not give up. I will push you and teach you not to give up, either, even if others around you do.

I promise you to keep trying, to keep educating, to keep pushing our elected officials to act and protect your health now and in the future.

I am grateful for your soul, for your creativity, for your empathy. All these are precious treasures that you have to offer the world. They will help. I thank you for being in this world right now, so that you can offer these gifts at a time of transition.

Our planet is crazy. I pledge to be an innovator to make sustainable living real.