Dear Mom,
I'm not even sure how to describe the year 2020, let alone this holiday season. It's been weird. Different. Yet refreshingly simple. I am spending time with close family and small groups of friends here and there. It's wholesome and it's deliberate without pressure to be at all events or gatherings. So there's that. I know that other people are struggling. Some find these times everything but simple. For that reason, the holidays are complicated. You brought us up to give, to be charitable, especially during Christmastime. Do you know who
needs help right now? EVERYONE.
Most people
need help rebuilding their faith in humanity after the past election and pandemic policies that created tumultous relationships between friends and family. Some working people
need financial help because of the strains on the economy from the shutdown. Oh what shutdown? I forgot you don't know anything about it. So, we are in a pandemic. A virus, new(ish) to the planet has turned the world upside down. We wear masks everywhere, sanitize like it's our job, and aren't allowed to go in restaurants/bars. People are dying, others are mildly sick and some are just fine. Most people are working from home if possible and high school and college kids are learning from a computer. It's a wild time in our history, to say the least. I'm going to keep that short and sweet and void of bias.
Moving on, who
needs help? Restaurant workers and small business owners/employees
need job security. Healthcare workers
need to be given patience, support and to feel valued. Children and teenagers
need to be given space to feel anxiety and frustration being away from their friends and missing face to face learning. Teachers and childcare workers
need to be given a standing ovation for the juggling act they are doing to keep everyone healthy in class, or engaged online and sane in their own minds. Anyone running a business or side hustle
need to be given a break from all the changes they've needed to make to stay afloat and keep themselves and employees paid and safe. Parents
need to be given a medal of honor for facilitating virutal learning without (or even with!) a certified teaching degree. Families who've lost a loved one who were not allowed a proper service
need love, hugs, and to be checked in on, often. People who are sick from something other than the virus
need attention and deserve respect for battling conditions admist the pandemic. People that strugle with anxiety or depression
need an outlet, an avenue to express the feelings of hopelessness and despair during these unpredictable times. Eldery people who are not allowed visitors
need companionship through the phone or virtually and most of all hope. Or veterans with disabilities or PTSD who
need and deserve to feel the support of a united country.
EVERYONE IS IN
NEED.
Some days, I feel at a loss to give. I don't know if I have enough in my glass to pour into another. Other days, I feel giving, of any kind, is the silver lining of the whole thing. After writing this, I know one thing is for sure. People need to be given grace. More than ever. According to the dictionary, courteous goodwill is another way to define grace. That's simplistic and perfectly described, in my opinion. Some of us have time, money or energy to give to others. Some are just depleted. Both parties
need grace. In order to give or receive, interacting with each other with goodwill, grace and kindess will go a long way. I hope to do my part. If you're in need, I got you. If I'm in
need, do you have my back, Mom? I think right now you'd be quoting your favorite Christmas quote, "Don't get your tinsel in a tangle." You might also tell me to give without judgment and love like there's no tomorrow. And because I can't hear it directly from you, I'll take the advice and go from there.
Love,
Kristin In Quarantine
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