2022 has been a year of highs and lows for everyone and we hope you and those you love have been safe through this rollercoaster we call life. I write this as a major storm sweeps across the US and Canada and my sister and her husband attempt a journey from Ohio to join us for Christmas. So I pray for their safety and all of those travelling this weekend. I also pray for the people in Ukraine who may face Christmas during a war and maybe without power.
The photo above was from our company holiday celebration in Dec 2021. We met just as Omicron was gathering steam with everyone needing to test before coming together. So we can all celebrate the freedom we gained from the worst of CovId in 2022!
When we gathered none of us knew what might unfold in 2022. When an investment fell through at the last minute I needed to make a painful decision to initiate a mass layoff in May. That was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. I could only do that successfully because of the strong support of the team and their understanding. One memory I will always carry with me is our final Friday virtual tea. The team had collected some funds for a team member who was expecting and she shared photos of the gifts that had just arrived. We signed off as we often did with her young daughter waving good bye with tears in our eyes and lumps in our throats.
Since then I’ve been delighted to see how almost everyone on the team has found new opportunities. When I founded Boxbrite Technologies almost 4 years ago, I did it with a goal of providing opportunities for newcomers where possible. In our brief history we have been able to that for I think 20 individuals. As one team member commented, this felt like the first graduating class. I feel honoured that we’ve been able to provide that opportunity for some really amazing people.
So the Boxbrite family became scattered but we still could celebrate new jobs, graduations, births, family reunifications and many transitions in each other’s lives. As a company we still move forward, onboarding new customers and looking forward to an exciting 2023.
So what keeps you going through difficult times? How do you not give up when faced with challenges and stay true to your core values and beliefs? In the photo you will see my mother and father who live next to us. They stopped by after our meal and joined our photo. One team member wanted to stand beside my mother because she had heard about this amazing retired couple who had hosted two Turkish refugees in their home for almost a year. Only after she joined Boxbrite did she realize they were my parents. So family is not just for celebrations, we need them when things get tough and to act as role models!
I think we also need to encourage each other when life is difficult. Above my desk is part of a poem written by the daughter of a team member. This a daily reminder to not give up. Perhaps the poem can also be an encouragement to you in 2023.
We also need hope and to celebrate success even when life is hard. I’ve been able to celebrate the success of our team members in new exciting roles. Also I’m seeing that the industry is starting to see the value of what our team has built and that gives me hope for 2023. We need to recognize our accomplishments and not just our setbacks.
I leave you with a final photo of the Boxbrite family. We gathered for a BBQ in a park in the summer of 2021. We were emerging from lockdowns and we all were vaccinated. We wanted to see each other in person, particularly because a team member was getting married. That was a wonderful day and I look forward to a Boxbrite family union in the summer of 2023. The winter storms will have faded and we all will hopefully be settled. So extending you season’s greetings from the scattered Boxbrite family and wishing you a wonderful 2023.
