Giving Thanks and Giving Back
By Cindy Padilla
Cindy Padilla, Executive Director, United Way Northern New Mexico
November marks the beginning of a season of giving and gratitude. It marks the beginning of a dedicated time focusing on family, faith, and the belief that it is in giving that we receive
My life and career has always centered around public service and helping people realize their potential. I am truly thankful for the opportunities I have had to learn, to serve and to lead. It is through these experiences, that I have learned that power isn’t about position or status, but about service to others. True power lies in giving. This is the Power of You!
Cindy and her mama
I am fortunate to have witnessed this power through the life of my mother. My mother was a daily example of selflessness, kindness and abounding faith. We lost her on October 19, 2024. Although there is a hole in my heart, there is a true sense of comfort knowing that she lived an abundant life, is at peace, and finally Home. My mother was of small stature, 4’11 and weighing less than 100 lbs, her strength of spirit, her love for humanity, and life was as majestic as the highest mountain, as fierce as the most powerful ocean, and as bright as the brilliance of the sun. I am thankful for the life she lived and for all that she taught me. She always challenged me to be a better person, to be better than I thought I could be. She knew. And I love her now more than ever, knowing that she is truly my strength.
So as we enter this season of giving and gratitude, I am challenging myself and will challenge you. Find that power, that strength of who you are and know that when we give all we can, we get back so much more. I challenge you to look around you, find the gratitude that you feel for all that you have and all that you are. Take the time to tell those you love that they are valued, they are loved and that they are enough. Take the time to show your friends and family that they too have that power and that collectively we can change the world, even if just our small part of it. Take time to give thanks and give back. This is a challenge that I know so many of you have already accepted! We are thankful!
Being with the United Way of Northern New Mexico for the past four years, I have seen the power of generosity and compassion. Because of the collective power of us, we put food on tables, we light and heat homes, we tutor students after school keeping them safe, we provide transportation to doctor appointments, we play with a child who has a different ability, we help people learn to read, we advocate for a child in foster care who otherwise has no one in their corner, and we give hope when the world seems at an end. We do this. You do this. And we do it together. As I honor my mother this season, I will look at myself in a way that I hope will make my mother thankful… I say thankful, as my mother would always say that we shouldn’t be proud of who we are or what we do, but thankful that we can do what we do and be who we are. So I want to make my mother thankful that she taught me to give, to be humble and to love. I will give more this season… perhaps you will too.
