Cindy Kelley

Cindy Kelley, PhD, remembers March 19, 2020, in vivid detail. The president of Madisonville Community College explains that’s the day the pandemic forced them to officially lock the doors on campus. 

“The dark classrooms and quiet hallways were hard for me to bear,” she says. “Then suddenly, all the remarkable work and support I watched happen in the few days preceding came flooding back to me… That day I believed we would come out of this pandemic stronger than ever.” 

Although the past year has been difficult, Cindy is hopeful we can move forward with grateful hearts and lessons learned. “One of those lessons is recognizing and remembering those who gave of themselves to make the pandemic a little easier,” whether that’s a frontline healthcare worker, a grocery employee, or anyone who “shared a kind word and smile from behind their mask.” 

I believe gratitude can help heal you.

“We need to remember and be grateful for all of those things. My hope is to move forward with a more grateful heart than ever before.” It’s a goal she plans to achieve by intentionally taking time to reflect on the good things in life, no matter how small. “There are times when we must train ourselves to look for the good rather than the bad and to celebrate the positive rather than focus on the negative. I know it can be hard, but I also believe it can help us find light on dark days.”