United Way: Disappointment begets infinite hope
In the spirit of recent Martin Luther King Jr.’s holiday observances, I looked up famous MLK Jr. quotes. I once again came across one of my favorite subjects, HOPE:
“We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.” ~ Martin Luther King Jr.
This time, not only did I ponder hope, but the first part of the quote speaks about accepting life’s disappointments. I think back on my life, and I think I became a glass-is-half-full kind of person in spite of those disappointments.
I remember whenever I had difficulties or disappointments, including teenage angst, my mother would listen to me cry and wine. Being the ever-practical person, she would then look at me, put her hand under my chin and say, “Buck up, girl!”. Translation” “move on — quickly!” My parents actually told my brothers and me that “we play the hands we’re dealt.” We learned to deal head-on with whatever life brings and to keep moving in spite of those life bumps. We also learned that things always did get better — eventually! As I’ve mentioned before, my mother also preached, “Never give up hope, kids — it’s gotten me a long way in life.” I think somewhere between “buck up” and “never give up hope,” perhaps we learned to not be afraid of life and its disappointments.
This all makes me think about my 37 years as a social worker and addressing human services needs in this community. It can be daunting to address hunger, homelessness, childhood trauma, mental health crises, financial instability, health issues and more. I thrive on working with community partners to address these issues on a macro level. There’s never a quick solution to any of these difficult societal issues. However, we have many like-minded community partners who move together towards common good solutions. Sometimes it’s one baby step at a time or sometimes two steps back before three steps forward! As Dory says in “Finding Nemo,” just keep swimming! Just keep moving! Life is full of disappointments, but hope does not disappoint us. Let us not give up hope.
Continuing in the spirit of Martin Luther King Jr. Day Observances, please note that the United Way is hosting our 4th Equity Challenge in a 21-week format with weekly email prompts Jan. 15 (MLK Jr. Day) through June 19 (Juneteenth). The challenge is a self-guided learning journey designed to deepen participants’ understanding of, and willingness to confront, racism, diversity, equity and inclusion. Participants will engage in a series of readings, videos, podcasts, and daily reflections as part of the program. The challenge facilitates a way for participants to identify and commit to their actions to advance racial equity. Participants can register at unitedwayMLC.org after Jan. 8.
Please join us as we live united. We appreciate your support to help fight poverty, homelessness, food insecurity, mental health and substance use disorders, domestic violence, and other important community needs! The United Way funds 10 local Lenawee County agency programs and serves as a donor designation vehicle for 30+ additional agencies. We also sponsor countywide 2-1-1 services, and coordinate Project Ramp, 2 annual Health Check events, the Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP), and Day of Action programs and services.
All funds raised in Lenawee County stay in Lenawee County. To contact us, call us at 517-264-6821, email lpipis@unitedwaymlc.org, visit us at 136 E. Maumee St., Ste. 15, Adrian, MI 49221 or visit unitedwaymlc.org. Visit our Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok social media platforms, too! NOTE: We are moving our Adrian office just around the corner of our old space in the Gallery of Shops. Starting in February, we will be located in Suite 13 instead of Suite 15. We are partnering with Goodwill Industries of Southeastern Michigan in this new endeavor, swapping spaces! During the month of January, both Suite 13 and Suite 15 will be under renovation. You can still reach us via phone, email, social media or our website.
— Laura Schultz Pipis is the executive director of the United Way of Monroe/Lenawee counties.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: United Way: Disappointment begets infinite hope
