by Brianne Luckasavitch
For many, February can be a difficult month. We are faced with the cold Canadian winter longing for the sunshine and warmth. Along with the weather, we struggle with overdue credit card bills bloated from holiday spending and saying goodbye to family and friends that we won’t see until next December.
For Lanark County Interval House, a little girl named Grace Bechamp brought a little sunshine our way and we couldn’t help but smile and forget about our struggles for a little while. Grace decided to share her birthday with the girls & boys whose moms seek service from the Lanark County Interval House by asking her friends to bring a gift for them and not for her. Grace just turned 7. This was not something that her mom or dad decided for her, but a decision that she made on her own.
Often we turn a blind eye to the small acts of kindness that go on around us each day. Simple things, like offering a smile to a stranger, or holding the door open at the grocery store for a neighbour. When Grace walked through the shelter doors on that rainy, windy day; arms full of toys, we couldn’t help but take a good look, eyes wide open.
Even at such a tender age, Grace understands that children who live at our shelter are here for a sad reason, and that maybe a toy would cheer them up. This was another reminder that there is a lot of compassion in Lanark County. As we often hear about violence experienced by the women and children we work with, it is days like this when we feel especially fortunate to recognize an act of kindness from community members like Grace. Lanark County Interval House truly appreciates the generosity of all of our community members.
