Episode 8: Keeping Hope Alive

It’s been a while since you last saw a new entry added to our blog. Tess and I made the difficult decision after our last post in August, which ended with a break from The Ripple Effect and a choice to prioritize our education. Having two teenagers be the authors of this blog is a blessing and a curse. It’s a curse because it’s so difficult to have a regular posting schedule when two people, along with being committed students, want to be active in many clubs and activities (often you can find us taking a bite bigger than we can chew), but it’s also a blessing to have two young people writing this blog. Tess and I are constantly surrounded by young people like us, whether it’s an encounter in person or over a screen, and she and I have the ability to have regular access to someone that we can teach about the importance of living a life of meaning. Tess and I both share the urge, with or without a blog, to spread more kindness, courage and purpose everywhere and plan to always try our hardest to spread those things wherever we can. We agree that our world needs a little more kindness at all times, and it is vital to empower our local communities to keep that kindness alive. Tess and I have agreed not to make our blog a regular posting schedule, but to write an entry whenever we feel that the world needs a little more hope and compassion, or if we just want to share some words, stories, or inspiration with you. 

In these past 10 months, we’ve all made some big sacrifices. So much we’ve lost. We’ve missed our on too many opportunities, memories, many pieces of our everyday lives, our daily relationships with others. Of course, the greatest loss being so many of our loved ones who we have mourned over in this pandemic. These aspects along with so many others that have been missing for almost a year now have not weakened us. Such defeats have made our communities more strong than ever before. We have seen how we should adapt and think of how someone we may not even know could be influenced by any of our actions. For 10 months, we have shown nothing but selflessness. Certainly, we have all faced harder days than others. Whether it’s a student like me who has been learning for many months on a computer for 8 hours a day, or an introvert like my mom who most definitely would give anything for a day of solitude as my dad and I both work at home, we all have had to go through some tough days that made us just want to give up. Although we had this desire to give in, we never once did. None of us have. Today I am writing this blog because I am so extremely proud of each and every one of us. We’ve made sacrifices. We’ve done difficult things that nobody should have to do. For students like myself and Tess who have not had the opportunity to have a regular year of education, we can get through this. For introverts like my mom who just want a day alone or for extroverts like my dad who would probably give anything to be at a concert with thousands of people crammed together, you can also get through this. All of us can get through this. There truly is a light at the end of this tunnel.  We were already strong before and this pandemic is making us even stronger.

Let’s keep hope alive,

Eve Miller