2020: A Year in Review

We are nearing the end of 2020, a year that was difficult and challenging for all of us. This time last year, STAR staff gathered in a meeting to discuss a ‘20/20’ vision for the upcoming year. We were so optimistic about the new year and explored ways we could enhance our services to survivors and the communities we serve. We had no idea what was to come.

2020 was a year unlike any other. As a service provider that relies on one-on-one contact with individuals to deliver our services, Covid-19 challenged us to rethink everything about our work. Our strategies had to be reconsidered and reinvented, and sometimes recreated again, and again. 

During this season of reflection, we want to express that you surviving to this moment is a huge accomplishment. You are here, you are living through a time in history that will be remembered, and just doing that is enough. 

We are accustomed to stories that have clean arcs and endings. For example, with storytelling, we like to see someone go through some sort of struggle, falter and fail a few times, and then at the end, come out stronger than before. We do not always welcome stories that are much closer to real life, where the ending isn’t there, and may never be. As the great Brene Brown wrote in Rising Strong, “…scars are easier to talk about than they are to show… and rarely do we see wounds that are in the process of healing.” This year we have experienced worldwide collective trauma, as well as the additional traumas that come along with being human and uniquely ourselves. 

To our clients at STAR: You have made it another year after experiencing multiple types of trauma. You have received services different from what you may have in a previous and have likely grieved differently than you would have at another time. Your strength is so great, and you being here, in whatever stage of healing, is incredible. 

To our fellow helping professionals: You have worked through a time that is unlike what you have been trained for. Thank you for your work. 

The next year is unknown, just like the ones before. No matter how you may be feeling at the close of 2020, your thoughts are valid and just being here is enough. Wherever you may be on the wound- scar ratio, we look forward to working with you in the next year and many years to come.