06/07/2026
2026 has been one of the hardest years of my life.
After already dealing with many medical issues in 2025, this year became filled with surgeries, procedures, pain, recovery, setbacks, and learning how quickly life can change. I had rotator cuff surgery with four screws placed, tendon repairs, infections, problems with my neck, SI joint, lower back, hearing, sinuses, and more procedures still ahead of me. At one point, I barely had the use of either hand while trying to care for a family of five, run a business, care for our fur babies, and continue moving forward with my husband by my side.
And yesterday, our little Maltese lost her baby girl.
As heartbreaking as that was, it made me stop and think deeply about life, people, and the world around us.
Last night I heard music in the distance, then fireworks lit up the sky. Yes, my dogs were startled for a moment, but then they calmed down with love, reassurance, and comfort. And it reminded me of something important: fear should not control us. Life will always have difficult moments, loud moments, painful moments, unexpected moments. But we were not created to live in constant fear or anger toward one another.
I came to America 37 years ago. I remember neighbors talking to each other, celebrating together, inviting people over, respecting one another even when life wasn’t perfect. People understood that someday they would celebrate too, and they hoped others would show them the same kindness and understanding.
Somewhere along the way, so much changed.
What happened to helping our neighbors?
What happened to agreeing to disagree respectfully?
What happened to compassion?
What happened to customer service, kindness, hospitality, and simply caring about one another?
We have become so divided by politics, religion, ethnicity, money, appearance, and personal beliefs that many people no longer stop to see the human being standing in front of them.
I see Ukrainians, Russians, Middle Eastern families, Asians, Black families, White families, and people from every background imaginable. And honestly? We all bleed the same. Our hearts are all in the same place. We all hurt. We all struggle. We all need compassion, dignity, love, and understanding.
My family has experienced discrimination and racism firsthand. My children have experienced bullying that deeply affected their confidence and emotional well-being. And while many people speak about change, true change only happens when we ourselves choose to treat people differently.
Not with pity.
Not with superiority.
Not with judgment.
But with humanity.
My family came from hardship long before today’s headlines. Some of my relatives were imprisoned years ago for their Christian faith and for wanting freedom. Some never came home. Others returned broken from what they endured. Pain and suffering exist in every culture and every generation. None of us truly know what another person has survived.
That is why kindness matters so much.
At the end of the day, having more money, more status, or more success does not make anyone more valuable than the person next to them struggling just to survive or provide for their family.
We all have the ability to make this world softer for someone else.
It starts in our homes.
It starts with our children.
It starts with our words.
It starts with how we treat strangers.
It starts with how we respond when we disagree.
There are far more loving and compassionate people in this world than hateful ones. We just need to stop being silent and start choosing kindness again.
Tonight, we are making a small resting place for our tiny puppy with flowers and a little stone so she will always be remembered, even though she never got the chance to say hello to this world.
And maybe that is part of what life is truly about:
loving deeply, grieving honestly, helping others when we can, and remembering that our time here is shorter than we think.
Be kind to people.
You never truly know what they are carrying.
