Family Programs Mission: provide education, support and resources through community, state, and federal programs, to ensure service members, families, and veterans have the knowledge and resiliency to support mission readiness and retention.

VTNG Family Programs

By Mr. David Leonard Director, Family Programs | Oct. 1, 2020

October in Vermont is one of the most scenic and welcome months on the calendar. The contrast of colors can inspire us and lead to a sense of positivity! Science has documented how vibrant colors can be a stimulus to lead us to trying something new. Why? Because changing colors triggers the brain to respond accordingly- changing or starting something new can make us feel confident and hopeful.
For a lot of us, autumn leaves also triggers happy memories of our childhoods- apple picking, hay rides, warm apple pies and so forth. Nostalgia is a powerful thing; it can sometimes be bittersweet. Bittersweet in the sense that it brings up mostly happy feelings, but tinged with a bit of sadness that what we are remembering is associated with someone we have lost. Being nostalgic can make us feel loved and valued, and with time, the sadness will lessen.
While this October does not feel normal given what we have been through the last 6 months, there is grounding in the knowledge that some things never change- leaves bloom and then change color and then finally fall off the trees. It helps that we live in a state where this process is so striking; it is a signal to us that we, as in nature, change, grow and adapt.