POSTED BY Uplift Family Volunteer on February 04, 2023

I always wondered what life was like outside of Mae La Refugee Camp. When my family was getting resettled to the United States, we jumped for joy. We envisioned Heaven. However, since we were resettled, life in America was nothing like we imagined. It is challenging. Life in a refugee camp was hard, but life in America is also hard in its own way.  A new place, new culture, new people, new EVERYTHING. Every day felt like we were drowning, felt like we were getting left behind. It’s funny how we escape the refugee camp yet we couldn’t escape feeling helpless. When I started school, I got bullied. I failed every single subject. I made my teacher cry. Had my America experience been just that, the trajectory of my life would be grim. But it wasn’t just that. I met amazing humans. I met humans who made me fall in love with learning, taught me how to read and write, treated us like friends and families though we look nothing like them. I met humans who held my hand and made America feel like home. I started going to Hser Ner Moo Community Center to get help with homework and improve my English. I started going to scouts and doing service. The service and example of these amazing humans inspired me to do the same because their kindness gave me hope. The gift of service is a blessing for both the person receiving it and the person giving it. It might just change your life. It changed mine.

POSTED BY Uplift Families on January 23, 2023

As unfortunate as it may be, stress is just another common occurrence for just about everyone. It can affect you in varying ways with annoying short term effects, such as headaches, fatigue, chest pain, and an increase in blood pressure. Although, long term effects can become increasingly more worrisome. Chronic stress can result in anxiety, depression, memory impairment, digestive problems and heart disease. Luckily there are a plethora of ways to help in coping with stress that you can utilize however you want. But one that might not immediately come to mind is a big one: mindfulness.

POSTED BY Uplift Families on October 10, 2022

Everyone knows that talking to their teens is important for a healthy relationship and building a lasting bond, but what about communicating with toddlers? Talking with a toddler and building a bond may seem especially challenging in some high-tension moments. Most parents probably remember a not-too-distant meltdown occurring when they cut their toddler’s sandwich in half vertically rather than diagonally. At times, toddlers can seem almost impossible to work with and can respond in ways that seem irrational.