The most used words in 2020 are “UNPRECEDENTED” and “PIVOT”. Holidays are no exception. We have all had to make hard decisions about whether to cancel holiday dinners, quarantine prior to an event, alter gift giving habits from years past. Some of us have had to make the harder decision of gifts or house payment. 2020 has given us many, many challenges. It has also let us find an inner strength and power within us. The strength to persevere, the ability to apply a smile when inside things feel dark, the recognition that we do need our village of women we have created to help process what we are experiencing and the knowledge that we CAN deal with anything thrown at us.

In our house, we took this as an opportunity to look outside of our home to find people we can assist. Since our small businesses are being forced to close, food banks are overwhelmed. More than ever, people are in need of help. We found a local church that was collecting bagged meals for those in need. My kids (8 & 6 year old) and I made sandwiches, added juice boxes, snacks and foods from the earth (fun way to say fruits and veggies). My kids enjoyed packing lunch bags for others. When we went to deliver them, the kids and I stayed and watched people pickup their meals. It was an eye opener for my children to see people coming out of newer cars who needed assistance. Next year I look forward to a new adventure to teach my kids the value of helping others during the holidays and year round.

Photo credit Dakota Corbin via unsplash