This is not my usual type of post and I know I have not been posting much lately… I have just found it difficult to put words together lately with everything going on in the world right now and trying to come to terms with the fact that this is our new normal and everything is not going to just magically return to normal come January 1st.
There are so many special people
in my life who have gone through so much this year, illness, mental health
struggles, the loss of loved ones and my heart just aches as a friend, a
sister, a mother… a person; to see someone you care for struggle personally or
because someone they value and love is struggling or gone is so hard and
finding the words or the actions to support them through their struggles is
probably the hardest thing.
What do you say or do? What can
you say or do when nothing can make that person come back or take away the pain
or the struggle, when all we can offer is a shoulder and sometimes even space
and an ear when that person is ready I think sometimes we fail to see how
valuable that support and space can be, sometimes it means more than we will
ever realise.
We are approaching a time of year
which as a whole is already an incredibly difficult time for so many, when we
add Covid, finances and any other struggles into the mix I believe that it is
so vitally important that we be mindful of those who need our love and support
right now and going forward and that we remember to be grateful for what we
have and that this time of year no matter your religious beliefs or culture
signifies a time of togetherness, a time for reflection and a time of appreciation.
I remember so clearly the first xmas period after the breakdown of my first marriage, I still have pictures of the table over laden with a million gifts most of which I couldn’t afford in the first place and that my kids would never even play with I was so sure that it would fix everything and would help my children through what was probably one of the most emotionally confusing periods of their lives (spoiler alert; it didn't!), as the years have gone on I have taken so much from this period in my life and through this I have tried to explain and encourage my kids to be mindful of what we have or don’t have and that there are so many people and families out there that are not blessed to spend this time with their family members, who have maybe lost family members or don’t have a roof over their heads or a meal on the table as we do, how blessed we are to have all of these things!
This post is just
a reminder to all of us (myself included) to be mindful, to reach out to those
who need us even if they require space a simple message to tell them you are
thinking of them or a simple check in is sometimes worth more than we will ever
know, to support each other and to lift each other up, to encourage
togetherness in what has been an incredibly dark time for not only our country
and those who we love but to the world and the loved ones of others as well.
Take this time to let your
children be children after an academic year that has pushed them all out of
their confront zones and routines, a year that has pushed them in every way
possible, they have made it through and we all should be exceptionally proud of them, the teachers who have gone of their way to help them and we should remind ourselves to be gentle on ourselves if we feel that we have failed them this year in any way; homes have become both classroom and office and even a jail so to speak when no one could leave their homes, we have all had to make the best of what we have and whether we have cried, screamed or delighted in every moment of this time we have all done the best that we can with what we have in uncharted territory and that is what is important.
Take this time to thank your
spouse or partner if you have one and your support system as well without them
where would we be. Take the time to ask them what they need and where they want to be or want to go leading into the future; is there anything we can do to help? What support do they need?
If you have the opportunity to
spend some time with your friends and loved ones this year (safely) then do so
because we will never know how much time we have with each other.
Take this time to do something
for someone else- provide a family with a meal, join the Santa show box project
or invite someone to join you during the holidays if they do not have the
support system you have or they are missing a loved one at this time.
Reach out to those who are
struggling
Love each other and hold each other
close
I hope that every single one of
you, your loved ones and the loved ones of your loved ones are doing ok and
that the year ahead although abnormal or not quite the normal we are used to is
paved with blessings and support be that financially, physically or emotionally
and may we find comfort in the support and blessings that we do have and the people that we are lucky enough to have surrounding us.
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