Signs have appeared on many lawns over the past year thanking the devoted “heroes” who worked diligently to get all of us through the COVID pandemic. Some of the signs still remain and others are gone, in some cases due to the inclement weather we have had over the past few months.

I am sure that recognition of these people is greatly appreciated. I watched a neighbor who lives several doors down take off her “hospital clothing and shoes” each day in front of her house before she steps through the front doorway. I choke up each time I realize what she is doing.

We saw the enormous outpouring of people standing on their balconies each day at the same hour banging, clapping and making noises to let their nearby hospital workers know that they are with them in appreciation.

With the coming of spring and summer and the blessing of many being vaccinated, the number of such activities and signs are slowly dissipating. With the governor opening up so many areas of life that had been closed to us for so long, people are hesitantly and slowly returning to a much more normal way of life than they have lived in the past 15 months. For that we are grateful.

In my mind, there are groups of individuals who are never acknowledged because what they live through is not thought of by many as heroism. For them it is a lifetime pandemic. It is a lifetime of challenge. It is a lifetime of wearing a smile on your face when inside you may be crying dry tears.

Those individuals are the parents of children with special needs; the siblings of these children; the wives and husbands of a better half with a debilitating disease or condition; those who live with a congenital condition or hereditary condition; I could go on and on. These are the heroes who are our neighbors for years and years.

Each day, how many of us actually take the time to recognize the hardships that they must be going through? It would not be appropriate to put a sign on one’s front lawn recognizing them. I am sure that they would not appreciate our clapping and yelling each time they walk down the street with their child, who they have to be sure never runs into the street, even though the child is 15 years old. The couples in which one member is suffering from dementia and the partner sits for hours on end alone with nothing to do while her life partner now rarely partakes in a regular conversation. These are the heroes who live in our communities, who desperately need a form of recognition.

We are blessed with outstanding organizations that keep our children with special needs busy with activities throughout the week as best they can. It is the parents of such kids that I am thinking about. How many neighbors suggest giving those couples a night out? One night a month cannot be too much to ask, and those in this predicament might deny that they even need such a break. Trust me that they do. How many couples have refrained from visiting friends where they know that one member of a couple has difficulty in communicating? “It makes them uncomfortable” is what I have heard.

I am aware that in the communities that this column reaches there are many families who encourage their children to include children with special needs in their circle of friends. I am well aware of the fact that this is not such an easy thing for many children to do. We have to learn to live with what is uncomfortable if it is to the benefit of someone else.

In their great wisdom, many school boards cancelled school for those with special needs. Zooming was out of the question. These kids just sat at home interrupting the lives of their families and, of course, of themselves. From experience I can tell you how devastating that can be for a family whose child is denied schooling for an extended period of time. We all have issues and concerns, but believe me that this is surely at the top of the list in terms of how we need to be more aware and reaching out to those in this situation.

There are heroes whom few know about, such as the former or present HASC counselors who are visiting and contacting their “kids” as much as they can. Some counselors are inviting the children to their homes for Shabbat. Others are taking them on day excursions. These young people are my heroes.

Life is such that we are all very engrossed in our own lives and rarely step back to see what is going on around us. Think about your neighbors or friends who are unsung heroes and rarely given any recognition. We all are grateful to the police, the fire department, all of the hospital workers and physicians, mailmen, garbage men, etc. I ask that each of us take one minute to assess and acknowledge those we know who could use a slight boost of any kind, who are the unsung heroes—forever—not just during a pandemic.

By Nina Glick