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Heroes and Trash Bags

Heroes and Trash Bags
Those nurses who had to wear trash bags, work double shifts and isolate from their own families should make each of us want to do whatever we can to support and thank them. They inspired me to be a better person and find a way to use my own gifts to help others. 

The Together While Apart Project's Thank You To Our Nurses Campaign

The Together While Apart Project's Thank You To Our Nurses Campaign
Having a daughter who is a nurse, a son who is in PA School and two nieces who are also nurses,  I am more acutely aware of how many healthcare professionals are struggling right now. Some are being neglected and poorly treated and the system they uphold has failed some of them. There are many groups of amazing people, such as teachers, frontline workers, working mothers and more who have also become heroes since 2020, as well as stretched too thin. I wish I could help them all. But where I can put my focus is on bringing greater appreciation to our national nurses through The Together While Apart Art Project.       

The Together While Apart Art Project

The Together While Apart Art Project

 

On a whim, I imagined a large art project to foster community and encourage hope and healing and I made it happen! I was able to recruit 18 diverse artists from 8 different states thanks to social media. These men and women represented both coasts and were extremely excited to use their creative gifts to help. My hope was that through working on the project, each artist would find joy and our collective joys would provide comfort to a broader audience. 

Bidding Goodbye To The Summer of 2020 and Lessons Learned

Bidding Goodbye To The Summer! Many lessons were learned this summer as our world grappled with a pandemic and wide spread racial injustice. New heroes and new SHEroes emerged as well.

The Summer of 2020 taught me to reach deeper and also stretch wider and further to be a better person. I learned to smile with my actions and my words since my actual smile was covered by a mask. I learned than an ordinary day is a gift and that there are always additional ways to give more than I receive. Success used to be measured by how many pieces of art I sold and how much money I made at art shows. It now means making the best out of every situation and every day, no matter how bad it is. My role models have become those who continue to give of themselves; specifically offering their compassion and their kindness to others. When I was tempted to shut down and withdraw, seeing the selflessness of others raised me up. Covid is still very contagious but so is generosity and goodness.