I live in Danbury, a mere 15 minutes from Sandy Hook. The horrific, unimaginable events that played out last Friday were in my backyard. A fellow food blogger friend has a child that attends Sandy Hook Elementary (he is “fine”). I cannot fathom what it was like for parents and families that day and quite frankly I cannot imagine what it will be like going forward. Sadness. Anger. Grief. It’s overwhelming, even from where I sit. I still cannot make sense of it and that’s just it, there is no sense to it.
Guns. Mental health. It’s a complex issue and I’m not going to stand on my political soapbox. I have my views but that’s for another time. All I will say is that we need real change on many fronts.
Beyond the politics, as a nation and, heck, as part of the human race we need to be better. We just need to be better to one another. No, I’m not naive. I realize kindness might not stop these kinds of events from happening, but maybe kindness can just make our world a better place, a place that fosters love and a place that encourages more kindness. We need to be good to one another more often.
Which leads me to this …
Every year it’s become a tradition that instead of buying gifts I give baskets filled with homemade cookies. Family, the UPS guy, our office neighbor whom we barely see, the mail carrier, etc. Whenever I share something I’ve cooked or baked with others it’s like I am sharing a piece of myself with them too.
I have a friend who has a friend from church that has a friend in Newtown. My friend asked a bunch of us if we could bake something that they could bring for the families to eat after the funeral. I’m in. It’s one small thing I can do. It’s a small gesture of kindness.
I’m making it my resolution to practice more simple acts of kindness. Things like putting money in someone’s expired parking meter or smiling and saying hello to someone I see everyday but don’t really know. Sure they are little things, but sometimes it is all about the little things.
How about you? Join me?