(by guest blogger, Laura Duquette)
Have you ever looked forward to something so much that you began to think about it daily? Maybe you would daydream about it, excitedly plan for it, and maybe even get nervous about it. If you’re like me, it’s probably a combination of all the above!!
I recently had the amazing experience of spending 5 days at the Champlain Valley Fair with The St Nicholas Project, raising awareness in the community about Kurn Hattin Homes and their outstanding work with children. In the weeks leading up to the event, I would often think ahead about how much I would enjoy meeting people at our booth and being there after skipping a year for the pandemic. I spent hours planning and preparing. And yes, I did get a little concerned sometimes… about the logistics, about having everything ready and so on. Thankfully, it all went wonderfully well!
Waiting for an anticipated event causes us to go through a variety of emotions, often positive, but sometimes negative if we become worried or fearful. If you’ve ever moved to a new town or state, changed jobs or gone through any other major life change, you know that anticipating what life will look like after those changes occur can be much more riddled in apprehension than in contentment, especially if the change is not something we’ve chosen to do on our own.
These positive and negative feelings surrounding anticipation made me think about the children who live at Kurn Hattin. I think of a child who might be attending Kurn Hattin for the very first time. Coming from a difficult situation at home, how might he or she feel in anticipating the arrival? Maybe there’s excitement to meet new friends, but maybe there’s also uneasiness or anxiety about this big change. What will it be like? Will I have friends? Will I like my teachers? Will I fit in? Will others like me? Will I like being there? Thankfully, Kurn Hattin has many caring teachers, staff and house parents who help make the transition from their home to the child’s new ‘home away from home’ as positive as possible. When you give Kurn Hattin, whether it be through material donations or financial ones, you are taking part in the process of changing anxiety and fear into resilience and courage. You are helping that child who doesn’t know what to expect or where life will go next to experience hope and joy. Won’t you help the kids as this new school year begins? Please make a donation today! God bless you!
