“Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.” Martin Luther King, Jr.

In the last several weeks, we have seen one tragedy after another, leaving us all reeling in heartbreak. I know all of us have thought about what we could do to help the survivors of these tragedies, as well as our local communities.

I did not grow up in one area; I moved around quite a bit throughout my childhood and my life. There was one good thing that came from that, I learned to identify with many different people. It’s always been my intention to raise my daughters to be strong, kind, intelligent, independent, open-minded, and tolerant people, who will stand up for others. Telling them what to do is not enough, they have to see it. I believe with all of my heart the only way to facilitate change is by example. I know that one person might not make much of a difference, but one spark can light a fire.

Her View From Home is a beautiful community, with wonderful writers. All of our hearts ache for the families of Alton Sterling, and Philando Castile. Communities everywhere are reeling over the hate and negativity flying all over the media, on both sides. Our thoughts and prayers are also with the police officers in Dallas. Our world is in a fragile state right now. Everyone is looking at everyone else, waiting for them to make another move in the wrong direction.

“When we love, we always strive to become better than we are. When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better too.”―Paulo Coelho 

Local police departments could use a bit of extra support as they continue to go to work every day. Just as the families of the victims of the shootings still need support. So many lives have been wrongly taken, on both sides. I feel it is time to heal, time to breathe, time to love, time to spread kindness to one another; not more hate. Perhaps you don’t have the money to donate. Send a card, a letter, a drawing from your children. Drop off a plate of cookies or lunch to your local police department, your community centers, your churches, your fire departments, and hospitals. All of our communities have doers and helpers out there working hard every day, and I just want to show support.

I have put together a list for some sites to donate, as well as some addresses to send cards, drawings, and letters to, in case you are unable to send donations.

“No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.”―Nelson Mandela

To donate to Alton Sterling’s family.

To donate to Philando Castile’s family.

To donate to Black Lives Matter. 

To participate in the upcoming Black Lives Matter Omaha Table Talk. If you live in other communities, there are local upcoming events.

“It isn’t enough to talk about peace. One must believe in it. And it isn’t enough to believe in it. One must work at it.” ―Eleanor Roosevelt

To donate to the Support Dallas Police Department. To Support Dallas Police Officers Assistance.

Support Dallas Shooting Victims.

Assist the Officer, 1412 Griffin Street East, Dallas, TX 75215

“Love recognizes no barriers. It jumps through hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls to arrive at its destination full of hope.”―Maya Angelou

Omaha Police Department Website

Omaha Police Department:  South 15th Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68102

Kearney Police Department Website

Kearney Police Department/Buffalo County Law Enforcement Center: 2025 Avenue A, Kearney, NE 68848 

Denver Police Department Website

Denver Police Department, District 6: 1566 Washington Street, Denver, Colorado  80203

New York City Police Department Website

List of New York City Precincts.

Washington D.C. Police Department Website

Third District Station: 1620 V Street, NW, Washington, DC 20009

“An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind.”―Mahatma Gandhi

To Donate to the Pulse Victims of the Orlando shooting.

Victim service center of Central Florida.

To send cards: Victim Service Center, 2111 East Michigan Street, Suite 210, Orlando, Florida 32806

*I wrote this article with the intention to spread peace and love, not to draw attention to one side or the other. All of these families, these communities could use our help,  and our love, even if all you have to give is a card or a letter.*

“More flags are flying, kindness is spreading, and love is winning. Let’s keep it going, and pay it forward!”-Sarah Svendsen Luke, Writer -Her View From Home

So God Made a Mother book by Leslie Means

If you liked this, you'll love our book, SO GOD MADE A MOTHER available now!

Order Now

Check out our new Keepsake Companion Journal that pairs with our So God Made a Mother book!

Order Now
So God Made a Mother's Story Keepsake Journal

Trish Eklund

Trish Eklund is a 40-something mom of two, a lover of words, a photographer of the abandoned, and a co-parent with her blended family. She has been a Nebraska transplant for the last 17 years. Learn more about Trish at her blended family website, http://familyfusioncommunity.com/ and her photography website, http://abandonedforgottendecayed.com/, and the Huffington Post Divorce Page. Her abandoned photography has been featured on Only in Your State-Nebraska. Trish Eklund has an essay, Happy Endings, in the anthology, Hey, Who’s In My House? Stepkids Speak Out by Erin Mantz.

To The Mother Who Is Overwhelmed

In: Inspiration, Motherhood
Tired woman with coffee sitting at table

I have this one head. It is a normal sized head. It didn’t get bigger because I had children. Just like I didn’t grow an extra arm with the birth of each child. I mean, while that would be nice, it’s just not the case. We keep our one self. And the children we add on each add on to our weight in this life. And the head didn’t grow more heads because we become a wife to someone. Or a boss to someone. We carry the weight of motherhood. The decisions we must make each day—fight the shorts battle...

Keep Reading

To the Mother of My Son’s Future Wife

In: Grown Children, Inspiration, Kids, Marriage, Motherhood, Relationships
marriage, wife, husband, grown children, www.herviewfromhome.com

To the mother of my son’s future wife, I’m in the midst of dirty diapers and temper tantrums, but I do have days where I think about the future and what it will look like for my son. I wonder who he will be, what he will do and probably most of all, who he will love. I wonder about the type of woman he will bring home to meet us one day. I have my own thoughts on the type of person I wish my son would fall in love with, but we all know that the heart wants...

Keep Reading

Trading Fleeting Moments of Fame for Unshakeable Faith

In: Faith, Inspiration, Relationships
Trading Fleeting Moments of Fame for Unshakeable Faith www.herviewfromhome.com

The string quartet began playing Pachelbel, as my dad and I took our first steps down the aisle. I began to lose my composure as we proceeded to the altar. Hundreds of guests had their eyes on me as tears streamed down my face. Struggling to look my future in the eyes, I looked to the ground for reprieve. God, everything around me looks perfect, so why doesn’t this feel right? I’m not sure how I got here. The flame once dancing inside of me, has extinguished. Lord, I need you. Dad squeezed my hand gently, “Are you OK sweetie?”...

Keep Reading

Children Don’t Get Easier, We Just Get Stronger

In: Inspiration, Mental Health, Motherhood
Children Don't Get Easier, We Just Get Stronger www.herviewfromhome.com

“This too shall pass.” As mothers, we cling to these words as we desperately hope to make it past whichever parenting stage currently holds us in its clutches. In the thick of newborn motherhood, through night wakings, constant nursing and finding our place in an unfamiliar world, we long for a future filled with more sleep and less crying. We can’t imagine any child or time being more difficult than right now. Then, a toddler bursts forth, a tornado of energy destroying everything in his wake. We hold our breath as he tests every possible limit and every inch of...

Keep Reading

This North Dakota Homecoming Queen is Capturing Hearts Everywhere

In: Inspiration, Kids, School, Teen
This North Dakota Homecoming Queen is Capturing Hearts Everywhere www.herviewfromhome.com

When Paula and Kevin Burckard’s third child was born, she arrived with a little something extra the North Dakota couple never saw coming.  Newborn Grace had Down syndrome, and the diagnosis initially left the young parents devastated. “When Grace was born, I thought all my dreams for my daughter had basically been dashed,” Paula said.  But it didn’t take long for those fears to subside.  As Grace grew, not only did she meet and surpass milestones, her infectious joy, inspirational grit, and deep love of all things Michael Jackson transformed the family—and countless hearts. The Burckhards went on to adopt...

Keep Reading

Dear Kids, When I Forget What It’s Like To Be Little

In: Child, Inspiration, Kids, Motherhood
Hey Mom, Don't Forget—You Were a Kid Once, Too www.herviewfromhome.com

The kids were squealing in the backseat. For the five minutes prior they were begging me to spill the beans on where we were going as I had only told them to get their shoes, get in the car and buckle up. It’s one of the ways I’ve learned to make a simple trip out of the house one that is a mysterious adventure to them. As we took left and right turns away from our house, they were trying to guess where we were going . . . and when we finally pulled up to a brand new playground...

Keep Reading

My Children Deserve To See the Whole Me, Not Just the Mom Me

In: Inspiration, Journal, Motherhood
My Children Deserve To See the Whole Me, Not Just the Mom Me www.herviewfromhome.com

Before I was a mother, I was a human being. A human being with life experiences, passions, fears, talents, hobbies, goals, friends and aspirations that I cherished and tried to honor. Even though I went through a variety of seasons of life . . . from school-age days, to working adult, to wife . . . those things always stayed with me. I stayed open to evolving, but never let go of who I inherently was. Then came motherhood. And suddenly I found myself abandoning my commitment to remain true to me, and leaving any semblance of myself in the...

Keep Reading

My Mother-in-Law’s Legacy: Simplicity

In: Inspiration, Journal
My Mother-in-Law's Legacy: Simplicity www.herviewfromhome.com

The memories of my mother-in-law spilled to the forefront of my mind, just as the contents of his jacket pocket fell onto our dresser. It was Proverbs 31, written on hotel stationery, in my neatest block print. Holding the small papers in my hand brought me right back to her graveside, on a hot summer morning, seven years ago. “Her children arise and call her blessed.” (verse 28) As my second daughter gave a mighty kick from the womb, visible to every mourner present that day, I couldn’t help but to allow my mind to wander. Were my values apparent...

Keep Reading

A Car Accident Left My Teenager Paralyzed—and Incredibly Fierce

In: Inspiration, Journal
A Car Accident Left My Teenager Paralyzed—and Incredibly Fierce www.herviewfromhome.com

I drove back from my son’s college concert near midnight. Exhausted, I glanced at my 14-year-old daughter, Beth, asleep in the passenger seat. We were only 10 minutes from home. I thought I could make it until I heard a road sign flatten on concrete. As the car flipped three times across a bare Ohio field, we left behind an ordinary life. I escaped with cuts, bruises, and blood-matted hair. Beth was another story. The car was cut open and a helicopter rushed her to Toledo. A doctor told my husband John that she was paralyzed. When John broke the news...

Keep Reading

Dear Mama, You’re Allowed To Not Be There

In: Inspiration, Motherhood
Dear Mama, You're Allowed To Not Be There www.herviewfromhome.com

Friday afternoon was not much crazier than most afternoons. My husband was mowing the lawn, my daughter was hangry and my youngest son was due to be in a talent show in twenty minutes. I stood in the kitchen—where it seemed like I’d been for an hour—trying to motivate my family to eat dinner and get ready to go. “Get dressed, Jude. Make sure you eat something.” “Dean, do you want a slice of pizza before we leave?” I screamed over the lawn mower. “Maeve, are you going to the optional soccer practice or the talent show? You need to...

Keep Reading