Staying Lit Within

As many begin a long holiday weekend in the United States today, InspiredToGive.org offers this reflection about the events of the past week and how to stay lit within.

by Carol Hohle

After the school shooting in Santa Fe, TX last week I was hit once again with feelings of despair. I turned off the news – struck with numbness. I struggled to keep anger, sadness and sorrow at bay and tried to not think about the situation. It is important to me to be empathetic about my fellow human beings and the condition of our world, but I just couldn’t muster a positive response, a loving thought, a sense of hope for our future.

Then a colleague at InspiredToGive.org messaged me, “any thoughts for how we can respond?”

“Seriously?” I thought. “I have no idea!!!!” I cried to myself.

I fumbled for a few hours trying to shut it out.

Finally, I reached out to another colleague. “Any ideas?” I ventured. Together we flipped through our library of inspirational quotes, but nothing seemed right for this. Then we recalled the now well-known response of Fred Rogers when tragedy strikes: “Look for the helpers,” he insisted.

“OK, let’s post it on our social media page and hope it helps our community.” Right then, we were being helpers too.

Posting this meme, it helped me. It was a gesture of love, a desire to be there for one another, a modest attempt at standing with good in the middle of a situation where everything but goodness appears to be occurring.

In the days that have followed, out of the fog, I’ve found evidence of helpers. Here are a few helpers I’ve come across:

Streetwaves – a group in Florida providing opportunities for city children to get off the street and into the ocean to cultivate courage, confidence, commitment, and character.

IGrowChicago – a community in Chicago fostering a culture of hope and combating the traumatic effects of violence and poverty

CharityWater – a team supporting sustainable, community-owned water projects around the world

Solutions to Chicago Violence – Three groups addressing gun violence in Chicago

The issues we face at this time in human history are enormous. As New York Times columnist, David Brooks recently observed “We’re in the middle of some vast historical transition, and it’s very hard to know what to believe in.” This time of evolution is demanding me, and perhaps all of us, to remain open, patient, hopeful and engaged.

This week it’s been helpful to look for the helpers.

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What helpers are you seeing?

Leave a Reply below to post links to stories, organizations and projects you are noticing, perhaps for the first time in recent days and weeks.