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EDITORIAL: Little bits of kindness

Even as floods, landslides and diseases have shaken us this past year, there’s something to be said for the unsinkable nature of community spirit in Agassiz-Harrison.
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This week’s editorial.

Even as floods, landslides and diseases have shaken us this past year, there’s something to be said for the unsinkable nature of community spirit in Agassiz-Harrison.

We all have our disagreements, and even during the pandemic, they come to the forefront so often. I think I can speak for many of us when I say it’s the times the community has rallied together behind a great cause that stick with me so much longer than any heated local controversy.

There were countless people who offered their help to hundreds of stranded travellers. They freely gave everything from a hot drink to a place to stay for the night as the valley rode out the storm. I heard the Agassiz Agricultural Hall was so full of donations and volunteers that people had to be turned away; they were too full.

A month later, as we find ourselves in the thick of the holiday season, that spirit of giving is alive and well. The Agassiz Fire Department gathered more than 6,000 pounds of food for Agassiz-Harrison Community Services. The local RCMP detachment recently announced they had enough food and toy donations to stuff four cruisers.

The holiday seasons is often a time of complex emotions. It’s a time when family gathers together, and sometimes tensions rise to the surface as handshakes and greeting hugs brush against old, unhealed wounds. Sometimes a bit of magic of the most wonderful time of the year fades as the celebrations just aren’t the same without certain people in our lives. Sometimes we’re in a place far from home and we can’t get back to see the people we love.

While the holiday season isn’t a great time for everyone, something’s become very clear to me as winters and Christmases come and go. No matter how bad the year can be, there’s something about the holiday season that draws out our giving spirit and so many of us go out of our way to help out those in need. Sometimes those times of crises prompt us to give even more of ourselves than we normally would.

It’s easy for us each to underestimate our own abilities to do good in the world. By ourselves, we can do little things with great love. With all of us doing little acts of kindness at once, we can move mountains.

I’d encourage you to give of yourself, even if it’s just in a small way, this holiday season. You never really know how far a small gift can go; you could even change someone’s life for the best, or several. You may never hear about it, but don’t let that deter you.

It’s difficult to find that spirit of giving outside of the holidays and times of crisis, which is why I’d like to give you and I a challenge. Let’s try to do one extra thing nice for someone every day for the next year. Yeah, I know, it sounds maybe a little hokey, a little to much like a Hallmark movie (I should know; I’ve seen plenty of them. Thank you, Mrs. Louis.), but in all seriousness, what’s the harm?

Lots of little bits of kindness can make a big difference, so let’s carry on that spirit of giving even after the year ends. Just to see what happens.