theme of this Docket issue was “ thanks ” and the holiday season , my first thought was , “ But it ’ s not even June !” Somehow , we went from March to November in what seems like a flash . It ’ s hard to believe that we ’ re already to the holiday season . Of course , the holidays this year will be unlike any other . I ’ m still hearing the grumbling from my kids about not being able to trick or treat over Halloween , and I ’ m already missing some of our traditions that just won ’ t happen this year . One of our favorites is “ Thanksmas .”

For the last twelve years , my husband , kids and I have traveled to various locations ( North Carolina , Washington D . C ., Colorado Springs , and even Las Vegas ) to spend Thanksgiving with my husband ’ s family . Our annual event , billed “ Thanksmas ,” combines a Thanksgiving celebration with a Christmas celebration . It is the one time each year that we know we will all get together , and this is no easy feat .

My husband , Doug , has four sisters , and among the five siblings , there are fourteen grandchildren ranging from age 7 to 19 . Doing the math , that ’ s twenty-six people total , and we all stay in one house ! It ’ s a bit crazy , but also full of early morning conversations , late night games , cousin bonding , and a whole

SCBA PRESIDENT ’ S COLUMN

Jennifer Grosso , Esq . Bentley & Bruning , P . A .

SCBA NEWS

lot of food ! We are so blessed to have the time together . Sadly , this year Thanksmas won ’ t happen for us , although I ’ m sure there will be a family Zoom ! Definitely not the same .

Speaking of Zoom , I am sure we are all getting a bit Zoom-fatigued at this point . I certainly appreciate the flexibility Zoom provides and the time it saves , but there are many days I ’ d just love to have a meeting in person . The collegiality that those meetings provide just can ’ t be replicated on a virtual platform . Our initial plan for this SCBA year was to have virtual-only meetings to the end of 2020 , and then assess from there . We are still in the process of performing that assessment . I suspect our membership has varying levels of comfort with in-person events , so even when we do return to in-person , we should still have the option to attend virtually . In the meantime , if you have any ideas for speakers or topics that might be of interest to our membership , please let me know .

Lastly , I encourage you to follow along with our Past Presidents ’ series . We have often talked about tapping into the wisdom and experience of our Past Presidents to help steer the direction of our organization . In furtherance of that , my plan was to have a Past Presidents ’ luncheon this year to get the ball rolling . Whether that happens is yet to be determined . However , we are moving forward with our Past Presidents ’ interviews , starting with John Patterson in this issue . It ’ s so interesting to see where we were as an association in the early 1980 ’ s and to hear his perspective . We will be including similar interviews in upcoming issues of the Docket . They are worth the read ! Thank you to Ed Ford and Drew Clayton for spearheading these efforts .

My best to you and your families this holiday season . It ’ s been quite a year . Looking forward to a less-adventurous 2021 .

Find us on Facebook

Want to be reminded of upcoming SCBA events while you scroll through Facebook ? How about a glimpse of past events you missed ? Maybe even some local legal news and events ? Please “ like ” our Facebook page to receive future updates and photos by clicking here : www . facebook . com / SarasotaBar

Board of Directors Committees

Practice Sections

The Docket · November 2020 5