The Courage to Show Up
"Sometimes the bravest and most important thing you can do is just show up." - Brene Brown
Last month, my family and I volunteered at a Family Night hosted by a local Orange County organization that serves as a resource center for families. We spent the evening making posters and paper chains to help for their upcoming back-to-school event, where children would come to pick up school supplies they needed for a successful year.
As we decorated, we wanted the children to feel the same excitement they might experience walking into a store to pick out their school supplies.
While working alongside my children, I shared with them that when I was growing up, I also went to a similar place to receive school supplies. My children had so many questions. One of them asked, “How can we help these children?” I told them, “We’re helping them right now by showing up.”
We could have been doing many other things that day, but instead, we chose to be there. We were learning together about what was happening in our own backyard and discovering how we could be part of the solution.
That experience made me think about all the people who had the courage to show up for me and my family throughout my life.
There were people who tutored me, helped my family find resources, took me to college fairs, and helped me understand college applications and financial aid packets. They showed up, especially when things were difficult. They reminded me that there was goodness around me and that I was not alone.
I think about Fr. Charles, the pastor of my childhood parish. I was only eight years old when he first came to our parish. The year before he came, my family had experienced the loss of a loved one. Fr. Charles helped my family through our loss and planted the seed of college, showing me how important it was for me to go. At the time, I believed college was not accessible to me, since no one in my family had ever attended and we didn’t have the financial means.
Then, when I went away to college, I met the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur and the community at my school. They showed up for me by listening, accompanying me on meals and walks, and connecting me with campus resources. While I was away from my family, they became family to me.
Looking back, I realize that I would not be the person I am today without the many people who showed up for me along the way.
And now, I think about our Volunteers. As they begin their year of service, many are entering new communities, while others are returning to communities they already know. They are choosing to show up, to listen, to accompany, to serve, and to be present to the people in their communities.
For 35 years, more than 6,000 Volunteers have shown up for people navigating education systems, for families seeking resources, and for communities facing challenges. And alongside them, our staff show up too, accompanying Volunteers throughout their year of service and helping them grow.
Showing up may seem like a simple thing. I know firsthand that it can change a life. Someone showed up for me, and because they did, it changed not only my life but also my children's. Through these experiences, I have learned what it means to show up for others.
Will you join us in showing up for our Volunteers today?
One way you can “show up” is by making a donation on our website: www.ndmv.org/donate.
In Service,
Diana Enriquez-Field
Mission Integration and West Coast Program Manager
