"Great things are done by a series of small things brought together."

--Vincent van Gogh

The extremely warm winter we experienced had a down side--the fields of Skagit Valley were almost completely done blooming mid-way through the April Tulip Festival. But we had the good fortune to discover there was one field still in bloom last week. As a parent it was heartwarming to have our 18-year-old son and 14-year-old daughter both enjoy the family outing! I think that speaks to the amazing beauty of these flowers in mass. Year after year it takes my breath away, and makes me smile. Sunshine, beautiful flowers, and snowcapped mountains all together. Could we live in a more beautiful place?

Walking through the display gardens at Roozengaarde after viewing the big field enabled us to see all varieties of tulips up close. Each individual tulip is exquisite and unique--from the traditional Darwin hybrid, to the feather-edged "fringed," to the ruffled "parrot," to the pointy "lily," to the "peony-like" double tulips. But taken together, in large plantings with different colors side by side in the garden, or in the field where the massive stripes of color look like a giant quilt, the impact is striking in a different way. Single, in groups, and in mass, it is all beautiful. And all here because of a family that emigrated to Washington from Holland in 1947.

In similar ways, our actions as individuals and collectively matter, especially when it comes to the future of our children. We must promote healthy development, prevent children's exposure to adverse early experiences, and mitigate the impact when traumatic events do happen. Primary health care provides an opportunity to partner with others to support families in this way. Please register to join us for a breakfast symposium Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and Primary Care just prior to the Thrive Washington Leadership Luncheon on May 15th.

Right now we are all focused on funding and budget processes, particularly at the state level. This is extremely important. But actions at the federal, state, community, and individual level all make a difference, and all must work together. In this newsletter we highlight an example of how each level impacts Reach Out and Read's ability to support families with young children.

We hope you'll read on, and then take action: Thank your members of Congress, ask state legislators to fund Reach Out and Read, think about what your community might do to support programs, and make a donation via Give Big! Together we can weave a system that enables all children to be the unique people they are meant to be, as part of the bigger beautiful picture we can only see when we step back for a wider view.

Jill Sells, MD and the Reach Out and Read Washington Team