The festive season has arrived again!
A cold chill & joy in the air filled with shopping, gift buying, nights out & precious time with loved ones but this time of the year, especially this year won’t be like that for many people & families.
The last two years with the pandemic have touched & changed the world & our lives as we know it.
We may be in a much better place now than we were then but I don’t imagine it’s very far from many people’s minds. Of how it was then & how bad things could be. We now face a different issue this year which has been quite a major issue for many already struggling. Even with support & outlets trying to offer help to those most in need, the cost of living has & been hitting many hard.
Not wanting to put the heating on because of how high the bills are, instead putting on an extra blanket or jumper or even keeping just one room heated for you & the family.
A mum or dad loved one not eating for the sake of making sure their kids have a meal.
Not knowing what the next day will be like let alone the next week or month must be frightening as well as draining.
I understand these issues won’t be just affecting one person, it’s many people & families in so many places across the UK & beyond.
We all have something going on always.
Every day presents itself in a different form, a different challenge for us to face.
whether it be health, work, family, money, or life in general. For some, it can be one or the other but for others right now it’s all of everything happening at once with little to no support around them.
I praise the organizations & local communities coming together to offer much-needed help & support to those really struggling without those sorts of lifelines, life would become a lot harder for some than it already is.
So, this Christmas along with those that find these times of year hard maybe they have lost a loved one, maybe they are spending this festive time alone, or are just not able to enjoy the spirit of what this time of year usually comes with. Now, on top of those emotions of all that’s going on, there also are feelings of loneliness, stress, constant upset & an almost ongoing circle where there seems like there is no end too.
If you are someone or know anyone that will be struggling this year & especially over the festive period. Please reach out to someone, a loved one, a family member, or if not a friend or even a neighbor. I know these last few years have changed life for many people forever & now these situations of eating or heating are what many are left with.
Please don’t suffer in silence! It’s beyond incredibly hard but I know there will be someone else like you thinking the same thing.
Kindness is one of the many beautiful things that are free. Judgment has no space or time in moments like this. Let being kind be your mantra going forward. You never know what the smallest of gestures could do for someone
Catherine Jackson
