Those struggling during holidays are not alone

MIDDLETOWN — This holiday looks very different for most of us, and it has me reflecting deeply on what I am grateful for.

Thanksgiving is a holiday typically spent with family and loved ones but will likely look different for many of us. It is important to remember who and what are most important to us. Today, I would like to do something different and share with you the poem, “Lockdown,” written by Richard Hendrick. It has given me some comfort, and I hope can do the same for you. “Yes there is fear.

Yes there is isolation.

Yes there is panic buying. Yes there is sickness.

Yes there is even death. But,

They say that in Wuhan after so many years of noise

You can hear the birds again.

They say that after just a few weeks of quiet

The sky is no longer thick with fumes

But blue and grey and clear.

They say that in the streets of Assisi

People are singing to each other across the empty squares, keeping their windows open so that those who are alone may hear the sounds of family around them.

They say that a hotel in the West of Ireland

Is offering free meals and delivery to the housebound. Today a young woman I know is busy spreading fliers with her number through the neighborhood So that the elders may have someone to call on.

Today Churches, Synagogues, Mosques and Temples are preparing to welcome and shelter the homeless, the sick, the weary

All over the world people are slowing down and reflecting

All over the world people are looking at their neighbors in a new way

All over the world people are waking up to a new reality To how big we really are. To how little control we really have.

To what really matters. To Love.

So we pray and we remember tha

Yes there is fear.

But there does not have to be hate.

Yes there is isolation.

But there does not have to be loneliness.

Yes there is panic buying. But there does not have to be meanness.

Yes there is sickness.

But there does not have to be disease of the soul

Yes there is even death. But there can always be a rebirth of love.

Wake to the choices you make as to how to live now. Today, breathe.

Listen, behind the factory noises of your panic

The birds are singing again The sky is clearing, Spring is coming,

And we are always encompassed by Love.

Open the windows of your soul

And though you may not be able

to touch across the empty square,

Sing.”

I know many are struggling right now. Some people are completely isolated, living alone; some are living in unsafe housing situations with nowhere to go, and many are living with overwhelming responsibilities related to teaching their kids at home while working full time.

It is so important to remember that everyone’s situation is different during this time, and while we are all trying our best to stay afloat, the burden is incredibly hard for some, and patience has never been more important.

If you are having a crisis, dial 2-1-1 (or 800-203-1234) to speak to a trained crisis worker. This line is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

I hope that no matter who you are celebrating this holiday with, that you remain hopeful and look forward to brighter days. On behalf of Middlesex United Way, have a safe and peaceful holiday.