Stefani Montague currently serves as a Health and Well-being Director at the Gordon Family YMCA. She shares her thoughts on the struggles of the past year and a half and where we are as an association today.
When asked to write for the staff newsletter, I was filled with fear and some anxiety. Reflecting back on the last year and a half meant that I had to open some boxes that I had closed and wasn't ready to process at the time. It was self-preservation. I have always found healing and health at the Y. This was a start to that journey. My motto for this pandemic season has been, "Here I grow again!" Here is a bit of my story.
The day that our Y closed its doors for an undetermined amount of time was probably the most surreal day I have ever lived. I was leaving a role that I can only describe as my dream job. Serving on the mission team and overseeing our AOA community was going to be my "last, best job ever". I couldn't find answers as to how we ended up in a pandemic world. I was fearful, confused, and full of anxiety over what was next.
On day one of furlough, I was sitting in my home feeling a bit lost and not feeling the urgency to get dressed and seize the day. My neighbor called and asked me to come outside; he said he had something that I needed to see. I went outside and standing at the bottom of our driveway were five lovely ladies that I knew from our Y as volunteers in our AOA programming with their arms in the air making the YMCA sign! They had given me the best gift; my driveway was chalked in colorful words and pictures that were filled with love and encouragement. It was just what I needed. I was humbled, grateful, and truly overwhelmed with emotion. This was supposed to be a hard day and instead, I was filled with JOY! It once again showed me how our Y community shows up and supports others and meets them right where they are.
"The Ladies," as I often refer to them, invited me to join them on their daily walks. We walked and hiked daily in the morning hours of spring and summer. As we became more vulnerable in our conversations and learned more about each other, true friendship blossomed. Every week after our staff check-ins, they would anxiously await an update from me as to when we could possibly reopen our doors to the Y. They were, after all, some of the best volunteers we have and are pros at inviting community into our building.
At the end of summer, one of our ladies, Susie, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. We were all devastated. The pandemic restrictions made it impossible for any of us to accompany her to doctor's and chemotherapy appointments and sit with her in this scary and uncertain time. She felt the isolation of COVID more than any of us could imagine. When I asked her what she was looking forward to that would bring her joy, she said she wanted more than anything to get things "back to normal" and reunite with the Y knitting group that she had formed. This knitting group is very special. They knit baby hats and blankets for a local organization called Step by Step that supports mothers and newborn babies. They also provide hats to our local school district and food bank. They are selfless in their work.
It was finally time to reopen our community center! I was one of the lucky ones that got to come back and start the rebuilding of our Y. With that came much happiness but also sadness as we were not able to come back as a complete team. I, like many others, was invited to accept a job that was not the exact one that I left. I returned as a Health and Well-being Director. Knowing that mission work is in all of our roles, I gladly accepted. In this new role, I was asked to step way out of my comfort zone and get a Silver and Fit exercise certification. I had entered a whole new world in serving members! I had never instructed but I was willing to do whatever was needed to grow and strengthen our team and serve our AOA community. I found that instructing group exercise classes were rewarding in a way that I couldn't have imagined! It is where I find my joy in this season. I have loved watching members welcome one another back and open their arms to new members that are just joining. Serving our group ex instructors and rooting them on as they have performed on so many platforms has inspired me to serve bigger and broader daily.
As restrictions eased, we were able to offer more and bring back our AOA knitting group! The first meeting that we offered was so emotionally charged. For many of them, this was the first social interaction they experienced in over a year. They are thrilled to be together weekly and share their stories with one another.
The work along the way has been HARD! We have all performed in ways that we were unaccustomed to. Wearing so many different hats in a day and always being ready to pivot or flex can be exhausting. My observation every step of the way has been that many members wanted and expected the Y to be the same as when we were all forced to leave it. But how could it be when we are all living in a different world now? There are hard conversations and moments of feeling like I'm not enough after being torn down by frustrated words.
I found that I had to ask for grace and extend grace so often. We are an organization that prides itself on getting to the YES and there were so many more noes than yeses. This is where teamwork comes in. We lean in and support each other in all that we do. The blessings have been bountiful. We know that we can count on each other for whatever need arises. We listen – really listen – to each other. We laugh, sometimes cry, and build each other back up when needed. I can confidently say that this is the best of the best teams that I have ever been a part of.
This week, our dear friend and volunteer, Susie passed away. She was surrounded by her son, sister, niece, and two of "the ladies." She taught me so much about resiliency in the last year. I am forever changed. Our knitting group and AOA community will miss their friend and leader.
I've always believed that community is everything, but I stand behind that belief now more than ever. In these trying times, it's the relationships that keep moving us forward day by day. The Y plays a big part in connecting people to people. Learning people's names and stories builds a strong community, and you never know whose life you may impact or who may impact YOUR life.
I love what I get to do and who I get to do it with.