Mother Nature certainly is playing some games with us, isn’t she? Some sun, some warmth, some gray, some rain, some snow, more rain, more rain, and maybe a little more rain. The 10-day forecast shows sun again next Monday! Needless to say, I continue to flood my system with Vitamin D. It is by far my favorite supplement during the winter. It is probably my family’s favorite supplement that I take as well.

Of course, the big news this week has been the closing of the Post Office due to flooding and water damage, as a result of the construction going on. This is an unfortunate event, to put it mildly. Until further notice, we can get our mail in Vineyard Haven, or use the Woods Hole branch for our postal needs. What … Woods Hole? I’m thinking someone high up plugged in a ZIP code and found some close Post Office building, failing to notice the ocean between us. Hmmmm … I’m thinking of reinstituting the Pony Express. Anyone got a pony?

Healthy Aging Martha’s Vineyard is having a community meeting on April 11 to accomplish the following: Report key findings from this past fall’s very successful Island Senior Survey; launch new working groups to address priorities identified in the survey; and hear from state representatives Tim Madden and Denise Garlick, chair of the Joint Committee on Elder Affairs, about the state’s elder-services programs. Seniors, caregivers, family, and friends should attend.

How has Martha’s Vineyard Community Services (MVCS) been a part of your life? Whether you are a supporter, partner, volunteer, or individual who has been affected by the work of MVCS through Connect to End Violence, Disability Services, the Island Counseling Center, Early Childhood Programs, the Island Wide Youth Collaborative, or the Thrift Shop, they would love to hear from you. When more people share stories of recovery, struggle, or hope, it lets all of us know that we’re not alone. It can be long, short, funny, touching, helpful or just a great story — whatever you feel compelled to share. They will collect your story (and hopefully a photo too) and share them with others on their website. They hope that you’ll share your story and continue to inspire others and the Island community for years to come! Submissions can be anonymous. Simply fill out the form found at mvcommunityservices.com/.

Lots of birthdays this week, according to Facebook. Happy birthday wishes go out to Deborah Alpert, who celebrated on April 5; Patty Gazaille, who celebrated on April 6; Heidi Cook, Hailey Rogers, and Brad Hill, whose big day is April 7; and Melinda Rabbitt DeFeo, Beth Kaeka (not an Edgartown girl, but spends so much time subbing at the Edgartown School nowadays she might as well be), former Edgartown girl (and still one at heart) Nancy Bruguiere Morris, and Judy Norton, who all share a special day on Saturday, April 9. Happy days to all of you.

Eighth grade fundraising for the trip to Washington, D.C., has pretty much come to a close, as we pay for our trip this week. I can’t say that I’m sorry the fundraising part of the job is over. It is a tremendous amount of work to coordinate students and families and fundraisers to raise approximately $55,000! That said, it would be completely impossible without the efforts of all of those students and parents who worked the events, asked for money, sold raffle tickets, washed cars, worked on the Fourth of July, and remained in good spirits while they did so. This particular group of kids was a bit of a challenge to get off the blocks, so to speak, but once they showed up, they were a hard-working, fun, and funny bunch of kids, and I have enjoyed working with them and their parents a great deal.

Along with the families who made this year’s fundraising a success, I want to take a moment to thank the Island community for their help and support getting 41 kids and their chaperones to Washington, D.C. From those of you who bought raffle tickets to those who donated items to our auction, to those who have purchased ads in the graduation program, to businesses that opened their doors to us and gave us supplies, etc., we thank you for all that you have done for us. This is the time in life when these kids truly begin to gain an understanding of the community that they live in. In a world that is full of bad news and scary stories, when it comes down to it, the people of our Island take care of one another and support each other. How lucky are we?

This Sunday, Rise presents a special performance at the PAC for your entertainment. This is the annual performance by the competition dance team of the numbers that they are performing this year. These are the dance students that go above and beyond the average dance classes, committing their weekends and extra time to learning and performing special choreography, including solos, duets, trios, and small-group and large-group numbers. This is the one time that the Island community gets to see these numbers in a local venue. The show is at 4 pm. Tickets are $15; students pay $5.

“Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.” —Desmond Tutu