04/24/2024
The last 2 weeks have been heavy here in the Treasure Valley (Idaho) & while I know many of you aren’t from here, I feel the need to use this platform to share, even if it only registers with 1 person!
While this area is no longer the small town I grew up in, it still is to me being born & raised here. Anyone who’s lived in an area their whole life can relate…no matter the growth, you feel like through your connections, you know everyone (good & bad!)
Those connections lead to being touched by more people & in the last couple weeks I’ve seen that! Between a family being taken in a tragic accident, a law enforcement officer being senselessly murdered, & 2 separate families in our tiny community having their lives forever changed in a fatality accident. All this tragedy has left my heart incredibly heavy for those grieving & while none of these terrible tragedies were my close friends or family, my heart has just hurt knowing the emptiness & pain that goes with a significant loss & has left me reflecting.
The thing I keep coming back to in all of these situations is kindness…whether it’s the life’s we touch or the kindness shown to one another…it’s simply kindness!
We all leave this world & when we do people are left with “I wishes!” There’s two kinds…1 may be “I wish I would have squeezed him tighter,” “I wish I would have said ‘I love you’ one more time,” “I wish I would have told her she looked pretty today,” or it could be “I wish I wouldn’t have let him leave the house without a hug,” “I wish I wouldn’t have said mean things out of anger,” “I wish I wouldn’t have made fun of her.” EVERY WORD WE SPEAK COULD BE THE LAST & no matter how kind those words are, we’ll wish we said more, but ugly words & actions definitely hit harder.
The reason I share is simple…our world is ugly, mean, & full of bullies, but we can make a difference! We can teach our kids to make a difference! We can lead by example! And while we may always wish we did/said more, it’s better than wishing we could take it back! I pray we’re all pouring this into our future generations…teach kids that every encounter could be the last so make it KIND!
💖LIFE IS PRECIOUS💖KINDNESS IS FREE💖