In all the places our family lived before moving to Vermont, we felt that we were  part of wonderful, caring communities. There are kind people everywhere, people who take care of each other. But I’ve been especially overwhelmed by the kindness we’ve experienced since coming to Vermont. This past year in particular, throughout my pregnancy and the birth of our fourth child, I never felt alone. Even before Abigail was born, we were the recipients of countless meals, childcare, and transportation for our children. Our list of “People to Take the Kids if Baby Arrives Before Grandparents” ran into the double digits.

I look around our town and I see little acts of goodness everywhere: people volunteering to serve meals to the hungry, moms watching other moms’ children so that they can go to doctor’s appointments, friends generously sharing the bounty of their fields and kitchens. It warms my heart.

It also used to make me feel totally inadequate.

Click here to continue reading my latest “Faith in Vermont” column in The Addison Independent.