The last few months have been tough for us all; no family to visit, no carers in to give a bit of respite, no therapists to carry out therapy, no places to even go to escape the house.
The days have been long and exhausting, juggling schoolwork, housework, the care needs of two boys and trying to keep everyone happy along the way! By bedtime, each day it feels like I have climbed a mountain of jobs.
In these last few crazy months though, there has been a new kind of kindness that’s kept me smiling on even the hardest days – “the doorstep kindness”.
I’ve heard the ding-dong of my doorbell several times in the last while, went to answer and found various little packages to make me thankful. On the doorstep I’ve found bags of home-made muffins, boxes of cakes & treats. There’s been knocks and bunches of flowers left, there’s been someone standing at the edge of the garden saying, “you’re doing great with the boys, keep going,” there’s been sweets left to cheer the boys up. I’ve opened the door to run to the bins and found fudge, books, more cakes and little letters for the boys. We’ve had awards sent to the door from school, toys delivered for the boys and the postman even delivered a little teddy for us.
These have been small acts of kindness from lots of different people, but they have had a big impact on our days.
They have shown us that even in these worrying times someone is thinking of us. They have constantly reminded me that I have a team of people looking out for us, even when they must do it from a distance. They have been a reminder that we are not going through all of this alone.
So, when life does eventually return to some kind of normal, I hope we will remember the “doorstep kindness.”
I hope we have learned lessons from this, I hope we continue to support each other, I hope we continue to show others we care because just a small gesture of kindness really can change the course of someone’s day.