Greetings from down under from Michael
Greetings from down under from Michael
Many of you would have seen the horrific scenes from the fires and the devastation that came with it.
Michael Hughes, one third of the podcast
As the fires are coming under control, the sky is beginning to clear and there are many stories that warm the heart, showing us that, in this cynical world, there is humanity and lots of it. From the thousands of volunteer firefighters giving up their holidays to help our communities, a school hall being used as a baby wombat nursery, people opening their doors to strangers who have lost everything, the numerous charities being overrun with donations, everyday people out with their cars rescuing injured wildlife and, at the last count, 9,000 trades people willing to do work for free.
I believe that it is this humanity, from everyday people that will make a difference to the way we recover from this. The same can be said for our childless community too, as we lock ourselves away from the world to help us cope, we run the risk of isolating ourselves from help and support, evolving into a lonely existence. As I keep abreast of the various conversations in support groups, I see this time and time again. There are many missing the opportunities of help from those of us out there who have navigated the grief journey. This advice can come in many ways, be it professional( and there are many people in our community motivated to study because they feel they can make a difference). It might just be knowing that there is someone to reach out too on Messenger or the phone. It could also be the development of a wonderful friendship with someone that really understands you.
So for me 2020 is going to be about connecting our community. Secondly, we have so many awesome everyday (I don’t want to use the word ‘ordinary’ as they are far from that) people that are doing some amazing things who are fantastic role models, who can shine the way for those still not so far along the path to acceptance.
On a personal note, I sincerely hope that the warmth, support and love that has evolved between Sarah, Berenice and I comes through on the podcast and gives you hope in humanity. Hope that your situation can change and motivates you reach out to someone in our community as they are the ones that will truly understand you and we’d love to hear from you if you have an uplifting story to tell
So let’s make 2020 the year of being someone’s hero and help their sky become clear again.
