everyday miracles

[Yes, hi, it’s been 900 years since I published anything, so let’s pretend this is, like, the resurrection of my blog?] We had the most lovely time hosting Easter dinner at our house on Sunday. The menu went according to plan, the weather was amazing, and the company was even better. Because Easter is a day of miracles, I can think of no better time to reflect on the everyday miracles we get to witness now, even (or, maybe, especially) in a world fraught with grief, tragedy, and fear.

Being in community is at often at the center of those everyday miracles: extending compassion whenever possible, being generous and creative with our time and resources, and knowing and trusting that we need one another in order to be truly healthy and whole.

Action is such an effective balm for the anxiety many of us are feeling these days, so I wanted to share a few organizations that are routinely making miracles happen in our community, and in this world, and that I believe are worthy of our support. While some are local to the Cape or Boston area, I’d be happy to help you find similarly aligned organizations in your area (truly, don’t hesitate to ask!).

everyday miracle workers:

• Family Pantry of Cape Cod: The Family Pantry provides food and clothing to all in need on the Cape, and there are so many ways you can support their work. From making a one-time donation to joining their Bag-a-Month Ambassador program, to volunteering your time, or donating nonperishable food or clothing and home items for their thrift shop (which is amazing, by the way) — there are so many accessible ways to join their efforts.
• Blood Donor Center at Children’s Hospital: Donating blood is one of the easiest ways to, quite literally, save lives. I’ve been donating off and on since I was 18, but in the past few years, really committed to giving regularly. If you’re eligible, I highly recommend checking out your local donor center, or searching for a local drive.
• The Release Recovery Foundation: I first heard about this organization recently from my friend Mindy, who is running the NYC Marathon in memory of her mother, Debbie, and brother, Nathan. She is raising $15,000 to empower two people to get the life-saving care they need for mental health and substance use disorder—regardless of their financial circumstances. The link will take you to Mindy’s marathon fundraising platform. I would be so grateful if you are able to join me in supporting Mindy’s efforts.
• World Central Kitchen: WCK has provided hundreds of millions of fresh, nourishing meals for communities around the world. Your donation will be used to support our emergency food relief efforts. They are extremely well established and vetted, and their locally-led teams are currently providing the majority of NGO aid to Gaza.
• Your Local Library: I feel like you knew this was coming… Our local libraries provide such incredible value and service to our communities– and that’s nothing short of a miracle these days. There’s the books, obviously– and then there is everything else. From free educational programming and technology help, to tax prep and passport services, to libraries of things (where you can borrow anything from crock pots to whiffle ball sets to laptops) and seed libraries, our libraries fill in the gaps and deliver so much. Please take advantage of this! Visit your library this week, let your library staff know that you appreciate them, and join their friends/supporters group if you are able.

Also On Tap for Today:

• You know I love a good playlist… here’s the 5 hours and 23 minutes of bops I played for my family on Sunday (full disclosure: I ran out of time/energy in the actual ordering of songs, so I sorted and played them in alphabetical order and that worked out quite nicely)
• Helpful read: How to Stop Impluse Buying, According to Financial Therapists by Jenna Ru // SELF
• This will likely age me, but I’ve been building a recipe binder of actual, printed out recipes and it’s giving me life lol — looking for something good to whip up (and maybe print out jkjkjk), here are few of my favorites (all vegetarian)

I’d love to hear about everyday miracles you’ve witnessed or created lately, or organizations you’d like to add to the list!