Have you ever felt really lonely? Perhaps you moved to another town or city and had to make new friends and start a new life. Perhaps your youngest (or only) child got married and now you spend too many hours at home all alone. Maybe those lonely hours are right now, or maybe they were a period of time in your past. Perhaps you’ve experienced them more than once.

If they were in your past, perhaps the experience may help you identify the lonely people who might be around you today. If you are one of the still lonely people, it may challenge you to find another lonely person to cheer up.

I didn’t know there was a “Cheer up the Lonely Day” until I searched an online calendar for an idea I could use for today’s post. What an excellent choice for today’s world. Thanks to the pandemic and all the lock downs, we went through a period of time when everybody was separated from everyone else. Then we were afraid to get closer than five feet from other people even when we were able to get out more. Thankfully, most of us have gotten over that scare and we feel much freer to mix and mingle as long as we are feeling well.

But today technology has increased feelings of loneliness. Our cell phones connect us in some ways, but they separate us as well. It comes as no surprise any more to see children, teens, and adults sitting around looking at their phones instead of playing or interacting face to face with one another. Not only in loss of personal interaction between people, the cellphone has introduced other negative aspects such as self-indulgence, narcissism, crushed hopes, bullying, predators, and human traffickers. How many times have we heard news reports of a youth who committed suicide because of bullying on social platforms.

Today is Cheer up the Lonely Day. Let’s use it as a springboard to be intentional about looking for opportunities to recognize and to reach out to lonely people. Even if you are lonely yourself, the act of reaching out to another lonely person may help bring you a sense of satisfaction and peace. Loneliness affects people of all ages from young children to aging grandparents and every age in-between. I hope to encourage both parents and children to think of ways to encourage lonely people they know. Here are a few situations that might bring to mind someone in your circle of friends and acquaintances who could appreciate some encouragement.

• Perhaps you have new neighbors who are also new to the community who you might reach out to in friendship. A cookout or neighborhood gathering might work nicely.
• There may be elderly neighbors or members of your church who might appreciate some visits. They would probably be all the more thrilled if children came with you.
• Lonely people are often found in nursing homes and assisted living homes. The staff knows who these patrons are and would encourage people to visit them.
• Who has recently lost a husband or wife? Their loneliness can be overwhelming as their life is turned upside down.
• What about any empty nesters—whose last child just went off to college or may have gotten married? This is even more likely to cause loneliness when it happens to a single parent.
• Many lonely people are found in difficult marriages or were left behind through unwanted divorce.
• Who sits in church alone or eats alone in a restaurant? Invite them to eat with you.

Loneliness strikes in many situations. This list is not all inclusive, but is intended to help us become aware of people around us who might be lonely.

The way you respond to lonely people sets an example for your children to follow as well. When they see you reaching out to the lonely people around you, especially when you include the children as you reach out, they are more likely to notice the lonely classmate who sits or stands around by himself at recess time. Talk with your children about situations like this and encourage them to find ways to encourage lonely people. One word of caution might be appropriate as well. Not every lonely person might be a safe “best friend.” Encourage your child to choose his best friends carefully, but to be friendly and kind to everyone. Inviting your child’s new friend to visit in your home might be wise as you help the friend to develop good habits if needed.

Perhaps you can recall a situation in in which you reached out to someone who was lonely. Please share the experience in the comments below. You need not name the person you reached out to, but share a little about the outcome both for the other person and for yourself.

Perhaps some of my readers will remember this song about being lonely from years ago:

The blog post below is full of ideas for reaching out to the lonely around you.

Cheer Up the Lonely Day

Post by Janice D. Green

Post photo by Zhivko Minkov on Unsplash

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