Thank you.

Many days I wake up and doubt myself. I doubt my abilities, my strength and my intelligence. Unfortunately, I have a brain that tends to ignore the positive 95% of the world and focus on the negative, toxic 5%. I listen to that one person that tells me I'm not enough. I believe it. 

But then I look at my news feed and drowning statistics and think, “No, people need to know about this. The world needs what I know.” So I try to find ways to reach parents and grandparents with children ages 0-5. It has been especially challenging this year, as I haven't been in the water much with swimmers and wasn't able to do a swim mission. Instead I've been adding educational PDFs and videos to my website, posting about swimming and water safety, and hoping that someone out there is reading. Most of the time I feel like I'm talking to myself or "preaching to the choir" as I interact with other drowning prevention organizations. I often think, "Why do I bother? Nobody is listening." 

I find it especially difficult to ask for help, so when Giving Tuesday rolls around, I cringe. This year was extra challenging. I don't want to bother people, especially during a pandemic. But, my non-profit is small and the budget modest, so I put it out there. I asked for support. 

And WOW! Thank you for the love, the donations and the kind words. I received emails and texts saying "I believe in you," "I love your mission," "You are why my grandchildren love the water," "Thank you for keeping my family safe," and "Face in Water is so important for so many reasons." Honestly, the past 24 hours will keep me going for a while. Thank you for finding value in what I do and thank you for listening. Together we are saving lives.