Finding Joy Amidst All The Chaos
By: Jennifer Marie
Tags: About Me, Community, Thankfulness, Kindness

For so many people this year has been filled with an abundance of hardships. Covid has placed so much uncertainty onto our daily lives that it can be extremely daunting. It can be difficult to remain hopeful amidst all of the chaos that weighs us down and then to add in the unpredictability of a pandemic the pressure can be debilitating.

I have had a difficult time the past couple of weeks when it comes to feeling any sense of happiness with all of obstacles thrown my way. I have lost several people this year because of the virus and recently lost someone else that always had the ability to make me smile even on my worst days.

She was only 34 years old and had no known underlying health conditions that caused concern. She was beginning to feel better, but took a turn for the worst and could not fight any longer. I am still in shock over the reality that she is no longer someone I can turn to. I just cannot make any sense out of all the lives that continue to be lost as this virus continues to spread.

Added Stress

In the short time since her passing, I have already been reminded countless times how much she is missed. Just a few days after she was gone was the most difficult reminder and there have been so many times that I have wished that I could hear her voice.

In the days that followed her death the hole that was left grew deeper knowing this person that had helped me get through some of my most difficult times was gone. She was always my go to person when I needed words of encouragement and I realize now how much I relied on that support to keep me going.

Recently, I came home from a work meeting to find that my house had been broken into. My children’s rooms had been cleared of anything valuable including their televisions, game systems, and many other things.

The television in our living room lay broken in the floor and appeared it had been dropped in a rush to try to pull it from the wall. There were so many other items taken, but even worse — all of the gifts I had wrapped and placed under the Christmas tree were also stolen.

She was the first person I wanted to call and being unable to reach out to her made the devestation of the situation that much harder. She would have known exactly what to say. She would have been able to make me laugh through the anger. I tried to think about what words of wisdom she might offer, but kept coming up short.

Keep Moving Forward

I was reminded of how grateful I was for the amazing community that Medium has brought into my life. I joined the platform near the end of October and was asked by Quy Ma, to collaborate with him on the About Me Stories publication soon after.

When the break-in occurred I reached out to Quy Ma and he offered support and asked that I take time away from the publication to focus on my children. I did not realize how much I would need the extra time to try to figure things out but it has helped tremendously.

He also created a GoFundMe page to try to raise money so that I could recoup some of the losses and try to purchase gifts for my children since everything was taken. The support I have received from this campaign has been amazing so far and I am reminded once again that there is good among all the bad.

I have received donations and words of encouragement from caring people that genuinely just wanted to help turn things around. This means more to me than I can ever begin to put into words. I have added the link for the campaign he created below. If you would like to share or donate it is appreciated more than you know, but please do not feel pressured to do so.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/xmas-gifts-stolen-from-jens-children

When this happened I was entirely uncertain of what to do and the main person I had always turned to in times of hardship was no longer here to lean on. Somehow even through all of that, this community has helped me to find a sense of joy amidst the chaos. I am just so amazed by the kindness I’ve been shown and want to express how much being a part of this publication has helped me move forward when I felt I had no where to turn.

I am beyond thankful to be a part of the About Me Stories publication and hope to catch up on all of the amazing stories I have missed while I have been away very soon. I also want to welcome all of the new members that have joined recently and thank all of you that have supported the publication since it started whether it be as a writer or as someone who follows the journey. You are all incredible!!!

♥️ Thank you all,

Jennifer Marie — Co-Editor for About Me Stories