Welcoming Summer
Dear Friends, Maya Angelou once said “You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.” Her words have been resonating with me lately, as I reflect on the way life feels now versus how life felt just two years ago. It feels different and that’s because it is. Life is always changing and we are always responding to that change. In the past 18 months we have experienced many changes and challenges as a society. In addition to continuing to live in a global pandemic, we have witnessed more discrimination, natural disasters and political and social unrest than some of us have seen in a lifetime. All of these trials paired with our own unique personal struggles have an effect on us. How could they not? My hope for us all, as we continue to navigate this ever changing world, is that we not allow all of the things that happen to us to define us or reduce us, but rather that the challenges and obsta- cles we face lead us to place of learning and growth. I am hopeful that we can work to become more connected by our similarities and less divided by our differences. So much more connects us than divides us and if we can focus more on that, we are focusing on the right things; the love we have for our families, our desire to be healthy and safe and to live meaningful and purposeful lives. You help to support a place where lives are lifted up again after immense loss; where grief lives but hope lives too. They live together in the hearts of those who come here. Change may be a constant in life, but if I have learned anything from my experience at Mary’s Place it is that the resilience and perseverance of the human spirit are also a constant. Though they will be forever changed by the death of their loved ones, our participants work toward healing. They come here to do the hard work to try to be whole again. Thank you for allowing the important work we do at Mary’s Place to continue during these times and always. Warmly, Brittany Sheehan