“Mom, you’re so brave,” he said, looking up at me with those big blue eyes. “You’re not scared of anything.”
Oh, sweet boy, if only you knew.
We’re now into this pandemic. Six months in. We don’t know when it will ended or what the future will hold. We don’t know when my fifth grader will see his friends in person at school instead of over Google Meets. We don’t know when I can set foot in my four-year-old’s preschool classroom to kiss him goodbye instead of at the front door. We don’t know when I’ll actually be able to go into a grocery store and smile a smile at the cashier that they will be able to see.
Brave. It’s something we’ve all had to dig deep to find over these past few months. Fear, anxiety and grief have gripped our hearts and souls. But, sweet friend, bravery is in there. We all have that brave somewhere deep inside. You are brave – whether you’re a teacher working twice as hard to support our children both academically and emotionally, whether you’re considered an essential worker and put your health at risk every single day – you are brave. To the mamas and daddies that are making gut-wrenching, difficult decisions as to how to provide for families and the best learning environments for our children when there is no good answer – you are brave. To those who spend day-in and day-out in solitude to protect themselves and their communities – you are brave.
Each and every one of us has found the courage deep within. Yes, it’s hard – so very, very hard. But we are all brave. And we can do this. So, sweet friend, be brave.
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