Together We Can

“Hope is that thing inside us that insists, despite all the evidence to the contrary, that something better awaits us if we have the courage to reach for it and to work for it, and to fight for it.” – Barack Obama

This year, both personally and professionally, I committed to focusing on light and hope, resisting the pull of divisiveness and despair. To work and fight to live in the light. And yet, the universe has offered immediate tests of that commitment.

Being hopeful is a necessity as a disability services, not-for-profit leader. Without it, I would have packed my bag and moved on a long time ago.

I must need the reminder to PRACTICE being hopeful. Already in January,

  • The dehumanizing events in the Twin Cities and around Minnesota
  • The death of my dear aunt, and my cousin’s granddaughter
  • Friends and colleagues facing illness and loss
  • Minnesota DHS and Federal CMS announcing delayed or halted payments
  • Some individuals’ unwillingness to accept service limitations
  • The death of a cherished client

In moments like these, hope can feel fragile – yet it is precisely then that its practice becomes essential. I find light in generosity, solidarity and community:

  • The extraordinary generosity of our supporters in December 2025
  • A bank willing to extend their financial support
  • A family paying it forward with an enormous gift
  • Thousands of Minnesotans standing for decency, dignity and our constitutional rights

How do I focus on hope? With resolve and resilience. By giving grace instead of judgment to others. By returning hatefulness and anger with loving kindness and support.

Resilience: The quiet determination to remain human – to grieve honestly, to notice goodness and to keep going without surrendering compassion.
Resolve: A conscious choice to align my actions with hope, even when circumstances push toward despair.

I am publicly declaring, and committing to these practices:

  • Staying present without becoming numb
  • Bearing witness to injustice, especially involving people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and other marginalized communities
  • Drawing strength from community
  • Turning intentionally toward light
  • Resisting cynicism
  • Practicing moral courage
  • Choosing hope as a discipline

Resolve and resilience are not loud. They live in daily choices: to notice generosity, to extend grace, to lead with honesty and to keep turning – again and again – toward the light.

Hope is not naïve: it is resistant. It is chosen. It is practiced. I invite you to join me this year in practicing remaining human, giving grace instead of judgment, practicing generosity, of spirit and mind, and becoming the light our world needs.

Let’s work together to be the light the world needs, to be the community that brings strength and resilience.