Lately, Everything Feels Heavy
There is so much sadness and pain moving through the world right now. Even on good days, even on grateful days, it is hard not to feel the weight of it. I find myself carrying stories that stay with me long after the moment has passed.
I am beyond grateful that I am healthy. That my family is healthy. That we get to move through our days with a sense of normalcy. I never take that lightly.
And still, I see parents walking beside very sick children, and I honestly cannot imagine anything more painful. To love that fiercely and feel that powerless. It is a kind of heartbreak that settles deep in your chest and does not really leave.
Holding Gratitude While Witnessing Heartbreak
This feeling has been with me for a long time.
Years ago, when we owned our sightseeing tour company and operated the double decker City Sightseeing bus, a portion of every ticket sold went to the local chapter of Make-A-Wish Canada. It felt important then. Quiet and intentional. A way of letting joy and generosity exist at the same time, even while people were laughing, sightseeing, and enjoying their day.
That experience stayed with me.
Because joy and sorrow do not live in separate places. They never have.
Why This Cause Has Lived With Me
When I do not know what to do with the heaviness, I always come back to the same thing. Food. Gathering. Hospitality. A table that feels warm and held.
Food has always been my way in.
Not as a performance.
Not as a solution.
But as a way of showing up when words are not enough.
When Food Becomes a Way to Show Up
What also matters deeply to me is this. Giving back in a way that truly makes a difference is not easy.
This will not be a simple task. There is planning. Fundraising. Recruiting partners and sponsors. There are details and timelines and a thousand small decisions that need care and attention if we are going to truly knock this out of the park.
I feel excited and nervous all at the same time.
A Team Choosing to Lean In
What makes this especially meaningful to me is that this fundraiser is being put on by our team at the Prince Edward Island Preserve Company. I am passionate about it, but I love it even more when our team feels the pull and leans in together.
This is what matters.
When we talked about supporting Make A Wish again, there was no hesitation. Just a shared understanding that this matters. That children and families facing critical illness deserve moments of joy, hope, and light, and that if we can help make that possible, we should.
We also know food is what we do best.
Why This Fundraiser Matters
So on May 30th, our team will be hosting a fun, elevated four course brunch, thoughtfully prepared and layered with connection and moments of entertainment, all in support of helping grant a wish for a child right here in our community.
Not to gloss over the heaviness.
But to meet it with care.
With intention.
With heart.
I know this will take effort. I know it will stretch us. And I also know I have the very best team around me to make it something truly meaningful.
Letting Food Be the Gesture, Together
Because when the reason matters, the effort matters. And when food is the gesture, it has the power to bring people together in a way that feels hopeful, even in hard seasons.
We are just getting started.
Stay tuned for ticket details and opportunities to help us raise funds to grant a wish. This is one we are holding close, and we are grateful to be doing it together.
Lots of love,
Marsha
