I’m feeling good right now, but I’m also feeling incredibly humble.
I’ve been given the privilege of serving on the Community Investment Committee for United Way, working alongside community leaders from different industries and backgrounds to evaluate nonprofits seeking funding for the work they’re doing in our communities.
Some focus on education.
Some focus on mental health.
Others support families and individuals experiencing financial hardship.
And that work has reminded me of something we often forget:
You don’t always know who is struggling.
There are people going to work every day, on time, doing everything they’re supposed to do, and still struggling to put food on the table.
Some are working two or three jobs.
Some are trying to afford childcare.
Some have white-collar jobs.
And some are experiencing homelessness or food insecurity while the people around them have no idea.
That reality has made my work with United Way especially meaningful to me.
I’m able to collaborate with other leaders, evaluate organizations and programs, and use my voice to support organizations whose missions and work I believe can make a difference particularly in the area of mental health.
That connects deeply with why I wrote my book, Oh Brother, My Brother.
The book is about family bonding and healing, particularly within brotherhood, single-parent households, and blended families. My hope was to help address childhood trauma before it becomes something a person carries into adulthood and tries to heal through substance abuse or other harmful behaviors.
Sometimes healing starts much earlier than we think.
It can start with a conversation.
A caregiver who listens.
A family that creates space for connection.
A community that decides someone is worth helping.
And sometimes, it starts with something as simple as love.
We have enough hatred in the world.
What if we made a greater effort to be the light in somebody else’s life?
Volunteer your time.
Support organizations doing meaningful work.
Check on somebody.
Use your voice.
Buy a book that helps families have important conversations.
Show up for your community.
You may never know how much that small act means to someone who is quietly struggling.
You don’t have to change the whole world.
Just make life a little better for someone you encounter.
That’s how communities heal.
That’s how families heal.
And sometimes, that’s how we live out our purpose.
Support your community. Support family healing.
If you believe in creating stronger families and helping children develop healthy ways to communicate, connect, and heal, pick up a copy of my latest book, Oh Brother, My Brother.
Every conversation we help a family start is a conversation that can matter for generations.
Be the light. Give love. Get involved.
