May Celebrations: Honoring the Everyday Heroes of Justice, Care, and Healing

Earlier this month we celebrated Mother’s Day, a time to honor the love, labor, and sacrifices of the mothers and mother-figures in our lives. But while Mother’s Day is the most well-known May celebration, did you know this is a month rich with other vital recognitions? May is also Mental Health Awareness Month and National Foster Care Month, and it is also the month in which we celebrate both National Nurses Week and Teacher Appreciation Week. Each of these observances honors the work of those who nurture, heal, and guide us, calling us to celebrate their tireless and often unseen work and reminding us how deeply interconnected their care is to the well-being of our children, elders, families, and communities.

This sacred work is being lived out every day through the caregivers at our CHHSM agencies across the nation. It’s found in the steady hand of a nurse caring for someone who needs healing. It’s in the guidance of a social worker who’s navigating the complexities of the foster care system or coordinating mental health services for someone in need. It’s in the patient voice of a teacher who refuses to give up on a struggling student. These may not be the stories that lead headlines, but they are the stories that change lives. Our mission comes to life in the everyday actions of those who serve. Each act of kindness, each moment of support, each gesture of care is part of the larger tapestry of transformation we are called to weave. The ministry of presence matters.  

And yet, so many of the individuals doing this work are overextended, under-resourced, and often invisible in broader conversations about policy, funding, and justice. That’s why, as we pause to honor these professions and their impact, we must also renew our commitment to advocate for the policies and systems that uplift and sustain them, such as expanded mental health services, fair compensation for caregivers, meaningful child welfare reform, and robust investment in our public education system. True appreciation is not just recognition; it is action rooted in justice. Because to truly care for our caregivers we must go beyond celebrations and advocate for policies that will reshape the systems that shape our communities, bringing about a more caring and just world.

May we never underestimate the quiet courage of those who show up, every day, to serve. And may we have the wisdom to listen to their voices, the will to support their work, and the faith to believe that even small acts of compassion ripple outward to create lasting change.

Closing Prayer

God of justice and mercy, we lift up the caregivers, educators, nurses, and social workers whose tireless efforts embody your love and healing. Strengthen their hands and hearts as they serve humankind with compassion and resilience. Guide us in honoring their work not only in word, but in action. Help us to build systems where all who care and all who are cared for may thrive. Amen.