Focus on Family Time

by
Guest Blogger
Start
End
Thursday, December 10, 2020

Focus on Family Time

Guest Blogger
Charrise Hart
,
Ready for School, Ready for Life
.

Charrise Hart is the Chief Executive Officer of Ready for School, Ready for Life.

Our guest blogger, Charrise Hart, is the Chief Executive Officer of Ready for School, Ready for Life.

With the holidays upon us, I’ve been reflecting on giving and receiving gifts. Due to the pandemic, there are barriers to the traditional hustle and bustle of the holiday season. While unemployment has dropped compared to last month it’s still higher than normal and food insecurity remains high according to Feeding America’s Map the Meal Gap. In Guilford County, about 18 percent of the county suffers from food insecurity. When you focus just on children, that number rises to 21 percent. The CDC’s moratorium on eviction ends December 31, 2020 and experts fear children will suffer greatly during the looming wave of evictions.

The pandemic has put up many obstacles to our “traditional” busy holiday season of Hanukkah, Christmas, and Kwanzaa. For many reasons, this will be a holiday season like no other. Which brings me back to giving and receiving gifts. We’re all feeling the stress of being together (maybe too much together) with our families for nearly a year now. So I’d like to urge you to focus not on presents, but presence. Being present allows you to fully enjoy the moment that you are in. Whether it’s challenging your habitual behavior, accepting what you don’t know, or getting into nature, the benefits of being present allow you to better handle obstacles and stress.

We have the opportunity for a bit more stillness and can use this opportunity to teach the children in our lives how to be present. Use the present to connect with the children in your lives, not the presents you wrap in shiny paper. Here are seven ways to practice being in the present moment. Doing this may be the gift you didn’t know you needed until you unwrapped it.

Wishing you health, strength, peace, and joy this holiday season.

This article was previously shared in Ready for School, Ready for Life's December newsletter. Click here to read the full newsletter.


Next>

Planning Before The Next Harvest

Next>

Some of the Best Advice Came from the People I Was Supposed to Be Advising

Next>

Next Level: Ready or Not, Here We Grow

Next>

Across State Lines What Funders Are Seeing, Prioritizing and Funding Right Now

Next>

Building Ponds: Lessons from a Few Dump Trucks and Four Funders

Next>

We Are Not the Sector You Turn to Last

Next>

Succession Planning is the Beginning, not the End. Who Will Lead Next?

Next>

Responding to Adversity with Resilience and Creativity

Next>

When a Doctor’s Best Prescription Is… a ‘Legal Aid’ Lawyer

Next>

Are you ready for it?

Next>

The Story the Headlines Miss

Next>

The Funding Landscape Is Shifting. Is Your Revenue Model?

Next>

Does Your Organization Need To Enter Concussion Protocol?

Next>

It Doesn’t Have to Fail to End

Next>

Strong Relationships Don't Happen by Accident

Next>

The Art of the Interim: Five Lessons for the "In-Between" of Leadership Transitions

Next>

Are You Ready to Be an Interim Executive?

Next>

Season by Season: How Interim CFO Leadership Strengthens the Nonprofit Audit Cycle

Next>

Trust Your Gut

Next>

The Ted and Beard Effect: Why Great Fundraising Starts with Great Leadership Partnerships

Next>

Why So Serious? Lessons Learned About Levity

Next>

What Is a Manager's Job, Really?

Next>

Dear Board Chair: Are You Ready for Your Next Leader?

Next>

Strong Boards Check-In on Themselves

Next>

Using the 70/30 Rule: AI in the Nonprofit Sector

Next>

The Last Trip

Next>

When a Partnership Becomes a Shared Mission

Next>

Your Mission Needs You Rested

Next>

The Stories You’re Not Telling May Be Holding Your Mission Back

Next>

Long Live: Building Nonprofits That Outlast Their Leaders

Next>

Are We Built for This?

Next>

Beyond the Transaction: Fundraising and the Relationship Economy

Next>

We Are Armstrong McGuire

Next>

Why Nonprofit Leaders Don’t Have to Do This Alone

Next>

April Showers Bring May Flowers

Next>

Why Hiring an Interim CFO Could Be a Smart Move for Your Nonprofit

Next>

The Campaign Myth: Capital Campaigns Aren’t Really About Buildings

Next>

Philanthropy Is Getting Closer to the Community

Next>

Making Room for the Aha! Moment

Next>

Measuring Performance

Next>

Can You Say No?

Next>

Become a Philanthropist

Next>

A Village of One

Next>

“You Can’t Be Good At Everything”

Next>

“Will” Power for the New Year

Next>

“So, Tell Me About Yourself”…How to Ensure You Move to the Next Step in the Interview Process

Next>

“55 Saves Lives”

Next>

“I’ve never been a natural, all I do is try, try, try.”

Next>

“Fun with Board and Org”

Next>

Who is Your Leprechaun?

Next>

Ziplining or Hang Gliding - What Fundraising Adventure Will You Choose?

Next>

You’ve Hired A New Employee Virtually (Or Are About To) – Now What?

Next>

You’re Invited!

Next>

Your Vibe Attracts Your Tribe

Next>

Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership Podcast Features AM Partner David Harris

Next>

Your Next Hire: A Strategic Investment

Next>

You Have A Strategic Plan. Now What?

Next>

You don't choose a life, you live one.

Next>

Writer’s Block: The Nonprofit Equivalent

Next>

Yes... and...

Next>

Yeah…If You Could Come To My Leadership Meeting, That’d Be Great.

Next>

Working From Home: A Lesson We Can't Unlearn

Next>

Winning the Lottery

Next>

Will our good fortune help or hurt the less fortunate?

Next>

Williams Named Managing Director of Armstrong McGuire

Next>

Why Sustainable Leadership Requires an Intentional Pause

Next>

Why Small Teams Work

Next>

Why I Need a Vacation

Next>

Who...are you…who, who, who, who…???

Next>

Who Did that Search?

Next>

Where's My Next Leader?

Next>

Where Do We Go From Here?

Next>

When you hit a hard spot.

Next>

Where are our Volunteers?

Next>

When the interim executive gig goes long…

Next>

When Stewardship Requires Sensitivity: Reflections on Aging Donors and Ethical Fundraising

Next>

When a Conversation Takes a Serious Turn

Next>

When Everything is Changing

Next>

What’s Your Why?

Next>

When Crisis Comes with the Territory

Next>

What's Your Giving Plan?

Next>

What Instrument Do You Play?

Next>

What you can control…

Next>

What nonprofits can learn from Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton

Next>

What is it About Pope Francis?

Next>

What is Your Organization’s Rating & Why Does It Matter?

Next>

What if Fundraising was an Olympic Sport?

Next>

What Nonprofit Leaders can Learn from a Brick

Next>

What Matters More - Donations or Donors?

Next>

What Makes a Successful Interim Executive? Lessons From My First Year Supporting Interim Leadership

Next>

What I Learned from a Box of Thank You Notes

Next>

What Is Needed Now

Next>

What Is A Campaign Cabinet (and Do I Need One?)

Next>

What I have learned over the past 6 years…

Next>

What Happens When You Fail

Next>

What Got Us Here Will Not Get Us There

Next>

What Good Is It If You Don’t Use It?

Next>

What Do the Olympics and Nonprofit Collaboration Have in Common?

Next>

What Comes Before Mission and Vision?

Next>

What Can We Learn From World Cup Fever?

Read More from
Guest Blogger
View Profile
We Are Not the Sector You Turn to Last
Tuesday, October 13, 2026

Nonprofits are not the sector you turn to when everything else has failed. We are the sector that keeps showing up, in good times and hard ones. It is time our seat at the table reflected that.

Read the  Article
Succession Planning is the Beginning, not the End. Who Will Lead Next?
Monday, October 5, 2026

At a time when nonprofit workforce burnout is high and experienced leaders are nearing transition, the nonprofit leadership pipeline needs attention. Add to that the unique challenge of population shifts in Eastern North Carolina...

Read the  Article
Responding to Adversity with Resilience and Creativity
Monday, October 5, 2026

Our defense of philanthropic freedom is about more than our members. It’s also about preserving an environment where we can respond to challenges in inspiring and meaningful ways – and support our communities when they need it the most.

Read the  Article
When a Doctor’s Best Prescription Is… a ‘Legal Aid’ Lawyer
Monday, October 5, 2026

For 10 years, South Carolina's first Medical Legal Partnership has shown how legal aid can improve health outcomes by addressing housing, income, benefits and other issues that often keep patients from getting better.

Read the  Article
What Is a Manager's Job, Really?
Wednesday, July 15, 2026

To be an effective manager, you need both management skills and leadership qualities. These are the capabilities that make your job easier, increase employee accountability, and create a better workplace for everyone.

Read the  Article
I AM

Staying Connected

Complete the form below to receive the latest updates, events, and insights.

*

indicates required

() -(###) ###-####
I AM

Ready to Partner

Curious about how we might work together or want to start a conversation? Share a few details using the form below.
Contact Us