Every year I hear the same thing, “the holiday season it the best time of the year!” Well, I am here to tell you that it is in fact, the worst time of year for many people. It is almost as if everything that accompanies the holiday season, blinds society from seeing the pain that some are in.

There are many many reasons that the holiday season may be difficult for people, and sensitivity may be the key to a cohesive community experience. Losing a loved one can taint the holiday season, it can serve as that constant reminder of the one you lost and the future memories you’ll never get to share.

I find myself stuck in thought on Christmas day, almost in tears, remembering that so many soldiers are not home for the holidays and some are never going home again.

When SPC. Jarrod Lallier was killed in action, my community wept like rain falling from storm clouds. But as soon as the rain cleared, the support came. Like a roaring waterfall, the rain drops fueled the community support that flooded into the Lallier’s lives.

Be kind to one another this holiday season, people are struggling in ways you’d never know of…