Saturday Morning Message: Making a positive difference during a difficult time

Good morning,

As you follow the stay at home request, there needs to be something positive to do to help with the feelings of isolation you may have from being away from your normal social routine. Today I want to share some of the ways I connect with others.

Through technology, TAPS provides ways for us to connect to others through online events using the Zoom platform. To see a list of when these meetings take place, go to TAPS Events in your community. We can turn on our cameras and see each other as we talk from our own homes or you can choose to participate via voice call. Some of these events include coffee times, family times and even a yoga group!

TAPS also offers chats. The Online Community lists the upcoming video and text chats. You are welcome to join as many chats as you like. Through these avenues, TAPS is creating a positive difference in our lives during these stressful times.

Remember, you can write to me anytime — to contribute, subscribe or if you have thoughts on what could make the Saturday Morning Message more helpful. I look forward to hearing from you. My email address is online@taps.org.

Hugs,
Carol Lane
Mother of Bryon

Answers from Survivors

Responses from Survivors to last week's question: 

What has someone done to make a positive difference in your life during this time of social distancing and self quarantine?

From Sherri, mother of Michael:  I have family and friends who have texted and continued to call me.

What made a difference to me the most was being able to attend a family church service for our faith through Facebook Messenger. We are members of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter- day Saints and our church leadership is following the CDC guidelines as well as the guidelines from leaders around the world in regards to protecting the members and others from COVID-19.

My sister lives in New Zealand. I was able to attend the service, through Facebook Messenger. She and her family attended also. New Zealand is actually so many hours ahead of us here in the states. Because of the time difference, I plan to continue attending their Sunday services, which is on Saturday for me. It gave me a great feeling of comfort. I worship at home, but I know that I am not alone in my faith.

From Ruth, mother of James: Jim and I celebrated our 60th wedding anniversary this month. We had planned on going out to dinner, but two days before our anniversary they told all of us that all of the local fine restaurants would be closed. Sally, who taught school at Roosevelt, knocked at my door and presented us with a $50 gift certificate to Hill Top House. She told me to get up there, because it was the last night they were serving table side. We dressed up, sat at the window and watched a wonderful sunset. What a beautiful night. It might have been two days early but we were there together.

From Alicia, mother of Nathan: Loving the daily TAPS talks. What an informative way for us to share ideas and stay connected. (Editor's note: TAPS TALKS are one-hour long free webinars. Each one deals with a different topic. Check our online community to see what we've got coming up this week. You can also check out previous TAPS Talks on demand.)

If you would like to send a message thanking one or all of those who participated in this week’s Saturday Morning Message, send it to me at online@taps.org and I will make sure your thoughts are passed along to them.

Question for Next Week’s Saturday Morning Message 

As we spend more time at home, our pets become our companions. So this week’s question is more of a statement. Introduce your pet to those who read this message and write a few sentences introducing your beloved companion to us. If you feel comfortable, share a picture. 

Would you like to share a question or read how other survivors respond to a topic or question you have? It can be helpful to read and hear how others cope. I encourage you to reply to the Saturday Morning Message question by emailing online@taps.org. In order to have your reply included in next week’s message, it is best to send your answers to me by Tuesday morning of the following week. Thank you to everyone responding this week and those who read this message.

♫ Song for the Week

This week’s song, "Say Hey I Love You" sung by Michael Franti, is sent from Cheryl, mother of Jack. It is an uplifting song that you can sing along to.  

You can send favorite songs for this song of the week section at online@taps.org and include a note about why the song is meaningful to you.

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