Today officially marks two weeks since Helene. What I know to be true for me, and what I feel to be true for a lot of folks is that our nervous systems are fried.

We’re here at a local church, grateful to have found a quiet room so I can answer a few emails and Kaia can watch a show.

On the way in, I overheard a woman telling someone she needed to come up here so she could be nice to people because she wasn’t being very nice at home.

I hear you, friend. Same here.

Emotions are raw. We’ve had an awful lot of togetherness under extremely stressful circumstances. We’ve seen, heard and experienced some pretty traumatic events.

Many of us don’t want to complain about anything being hard when we know the devastation and the loss of life puts our own hardships in perspective.

So, another day, I am digging deep within for grace, compassion, trust and patience. Taking breaks and deep breaths often, giving with one hand and gratefully receiving with the other, whether that means a case of water, a shower, a load of laundry or just a hug.

If there’s one thing we’ve gained in all of this, it’s a deep, deep sense of community and a remarkable showing of altruism and unity.

Hoping that whatever you are up against today, you find the things and support you need.