We sit and watch as tragedy after tragedy pass in front of us. Natural disasters and shootings keep coming up across my newsfeed. Yesterday, I spent the day reading about the mass shooting in Las Vegas and a double-murder suicide in my area. I have my brother in-law who works for Jet Blue in Puerto Rico in the heart of so much tragedy. I have family members getting surgery, and I sit here overwhelmed by all that is going on in the world.

I can’t help but think about families and survivors of these tragedies trying to get through each day. Tears start streaming down my face as I watch so many lives being ripped apart. Many people will have to completely re-build their lives. The more I think about what all this means for these people, the more I want to cry. I will be the first to tell you that I don’t understand why there is so much tragedy.

My only hope is this perfect storm of events will keep our compassion level on high and encourage us to love our fellow human without all the judgment. I hope these events don’t cause us to run to cover up these intense feelings we all have and instead launch us into action to do what we can to make life better in any way we can.

Many people are going through a tragedy right now. These big events might not have even touched their lives. There are plenty of people out there who are losing loved ones to cancer, mental illness, health issues, addictions, heroics, violence, and wrong-place wrong-time situations. These experiences should not be forgotten because they are not making the news.

If we can’t help the people far away, there are plenty of people in our neighborhoods who could use our love and support. What people don’t need right now is our judgment; this includes judgment towards yourself. We are all doing the best we can. Just because all these things are happening in the world doesn’t mean that your own personal challenges don’t mean anything. Be kind to yourself, and use that kindness to extend love to others.

In times like this I’ve watched people use it as an excuse to self-abuse. They ignore their own feelings then in time their physical and mental health pay the price. We don’t need more tragedy. We need to take care of ourselves in order to better serve our communities. Just like on a plane, we need to put the oxygen masks on ourselves first.

My prayers and love extend to all the people near and far who don’t know what to do, that want to help but don’t know how, and to all the people in the direct lines of any personal tragedy. I hope everyone has a community around them with big hearts to help them through. If someone needs help, I pray that they reach out and see there is someone there.

With Love and Gratitude,

Rachael Wolff ©2017