It is my privilege to write you again From the Bridge in the spirit of Chuck Jakway, our late Vice President.
I always marvel at how different the end of the year looks compared to the start. Sometimes in beautiful ways, sometimes not. It can be both painful and joyful to reflect on the changes that occurred, both within and outside ourselves, ways that we made life happen, and ways that life happened to us.
On a national and global stage, it seems as though turmoil has increased to a staggering amount. Nearly every day we read in the news that someone has hurt someone else, or this group hates that group, or there’s theft, corruption, and threats to safety. The breakneck pace of the everchanging landscape can feel disorienting.
I wrote this From the Bridge at the end of the year, a time when many people pause to reflect on where we have been and prepare for what comes next. For some, the New Year arrives now; for others, it is marked at different points in the year. While the timing and traditions may vary, the spirit is often the same. It is a time of preparation, anticipation, and hope. This season invites us to gather with friends and loved ones, to honor memories made, mourn those we have lost, and look ahead to the bright promise of a New Year.
In recognition of the tapestry of beliefs that make up our great Mains’l crew, I like to think the end of the year is an opportunity to strengthen our hope. Hope in what the New Year could bring, hope in healing, in stability, in growth, in change, kindness and love. Hope in ourselves, in each other, in our community, and hope for our world. Hope in the impossible possible.
Throughout Mains’l, I see hope reflected within our crew by our actions, our commitment, our kindness, and our values. Hope is a choice, the choice to hope for a future where everyone has a seat at our table and All Means All. Hope is both believing in the possibility of a better future and taking action to bring about change. I remain excited for what comes next. I look forward to seeing how we all will grow, learn, share hope, and continue to change the world. Together.
I wish you all a very happy New Year.
Thank you,
John Jakway, Chief Relationship and Transformation Officer