09/16/2026
I always take time to reflect on my day, and today, driving home, I found myself thinking:
“Did I do enough today?”
“Has Andrews shown up for our community in a meaningful way?”
“Is therapy the only meaningful way I, or our team, can show up for others?”
And that led me to this thought…
Showing up for our community in the midst of tragedy doesn’t always look like what you might think — or even what I might think.
Sometimes it looks like checking on the people who are supporting everyone else — asking a teacher how they are doing after a hard day, checking in on a school counselor who has spent hours supporting students, giving a first responder space to talk, or simply reminding someone who is taking care of everyone else that they are allowed to need support, too.
Sometimes it’s creating a resource that might help even just one person — putting together information for a grieving family, sharing ways to talk to kids about what happened, or making sure people know where they can find additional support.
Sometimes it’s walking someone through how to support a person experiencing grief — helping a parent figure out what to say to their child, helping a friend understand what grief might look like, or reminding someone that they don’t have to have the perfect words.
Sometimes it means volunteering to do a task you wouldn’t typically do because that is the help that is needed in that moment. Making phone calls. Dropping something off. Helping organize. Sitting with someone. Taking something off someone else’s plate.
And sometimes, it simply means being available — even if no one ends up needing your services.
This reflection has reminded me, and I hope reminds others, that supporting the people in our communities is often not a grand gesture or some profound service. More often, it’s the small things we do in the moments when they are needed most.
Check in with each other. Help a neighbor. Bring someone a meal. Ask someone how their day is going. Give someone a break. Sit with someone who doesn’t want to be alone. Take care of yourself.
You don’t need a special title, a specific skill, or the perfect words to show up for your community.
Sometimes, you just have to show up.
-BG