Something beautiful you’ve seen this year.

If you’ve been following along (not that there is a lot here) you may know it has been a dark year around Voices. I (we) have experienced some challenging times personally. It all started back in January and while I’ve been vague (to protect the parties involved), it is someone in my immediate family and it has been devastating. The issues persist and have been added to continually throughout the spring.

Seeing beauty when surrounded by painful experiences is difficult.

But beauty doesn’t have to be big. It doesn’t have to be grand gestures.

I live in an area of my city that is a little more impoverished that others. It is a good area though, filled with very good people with a strong sense of community. One of the local residents, all on her own, started a food cupboard nearly eight months ago. This cupboard is maintained solely by the area resident, without help from any organization or the local Food Bank. Through her own doing, she keeps the cupboard stocked. This cupboard is open to anyone who needs it, no questions asked. She does it alone (area residents frequently donate) but on occasion will put a post out on social media (through our community page) asking for help when stocks are low.

People stepped forward and loaded the cupboard. It is wonderful how the community rallies together to help one another out. School snacks are always popular (and needed) as are things like hamburger helper and personal hygiene items. The community overwhelmed her with donations!

While it may not seem like much, being able to see my community come together to help one another out is a beautiful thing.

Post inspired by 30 Days of Gratitude by Ordinary & Happy