A Call for Meaningful Change

If I had my life to live over….When my child kissed me impetuously, I would never have said, ‘Later. Now, go get washed up for dinner."?Erma Bombeck.

I was all set to write this newsletter about all that I love about the month of May: the beginning of summer, Mother’s Day, the proms, the college and grad school graduations, even the mournful remembrances that come with Memorial Day…and then within the space of two weeks gunshots rang out killing innocents and heroes in Buffalo and Texas.

The lives lost, both long-lived and those taken too soon, just about crushed my love of May and made me trash what I was going to share with you.

As I tried to process the huge gaping hole in the lives of those who lost their loved ones, I pictured myself in their place.

And I only felt a profound and bottomless sadness.

Every time I look at my children’s faces, now young adults, I see them as fourth graders standing under the tree in our old front yard reluctantly taking that first day of school picture. I see them walking with me on the Erie Canal on Mother’s Day when I would ask for brunch but always ended up getting dinner because they know I like French fries way more than bacon.

Today I see the faces of each one of those children taken savagely, who will never grow up. Their families will always see them frozen in time as fourth graders – only being able to imagine what they would have been, instead of what they will be.

Empathy vs. sympathy is a nuanced distinction. While we may all feel sympathy (our own perspective) for those who grieve – we need to dig deeper to feel true empathy (stand in their shoes) for communities who have suffered these great losses. When we do, that’s when we can provide real support, enable meaningful change, and ultimately, create a glimmer of hope to solace the gaping hole of our nation’s grieving heart.

This month’s?OUTLAW ONE?is the nonprofit?Riley's Way Foundation?with a mission to empower young leaders to use kindness and empathy to create meaningful connections and positive change. They recently named their?Kindness Fellows for 2022?who will each receive $3,000 to fund their projects.?

We need more empathy in the world, and we surely need more kindness.

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