December 2025 
by Nancy Vang, ETB Project Manager

Staying Rooted in a World That Moves Fast

My name is Nancy Vang, and I am the project manager for Expanding the Bench. Time continues to fascinate me — how it moves past us, how it arrives right in front of us and how it stretches ahead with so much unknown. Yet in all the directions time pulls me, I return to one truth: I keep showing up for myself, my loved ones and my community. Self-care, for me, is not just about rest or balance — it is about staying rooted.

No matter the times we are living in or how quickly or slowly life seems to move, one thing remains constant: Community is what keeps me centered. With the holiday season in full swing, I have been reflecting on what community truly means to me. Lately, that meaning has been grounded in honoring where we come from and celebrating who we unapologetically are. And, of course, community inevitably comes with food — sharing it, cooking it and passing it down.

This year, I have found myself returning to the kitchen more often, cooking my mother’s Hmong recipes — dishes shared not through measurements, written notes or recordings, but through the rhythm of movement and memory. These are recipes I learned by watching her cook for our family, absorbing flavor through sight, smell and instinct. As I chop herbs, wash leafy greens and simmer broths that instantly remind me of home, I feel my roots deepen. I feel connected not only to her, but to generations before her. Cooking has become a way to honor my past, nurture my present and sustain my future. It is my bridge back to where I come from and my offering to the community I continue to build around me.

As we navigate the fullness of this season and the complexities of our world, my hope is that each of us finds a moment to return to what centers us and truly take it in. For me, it is community — messy, beautiful and ever-changing — and the act of honoring the places and people who shaped me. May we continue to celebrate who we are, where we come from and the communities that carry us forward.