Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Mister Rogers to the Rescue

This is being reprinted from the Body Grace December newsletter

"Christmas is not a time nor a season, but a state of mind. To cherish peace and goodwill, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas." Calvin Coolidge


I stumbled upon this quote a few weeks ago and loved the sentiment behind it
that the real spirit of Christmas should be practiced all year long. This will be the last email I send you in 2012 so I want to wish everyone peace, joy and goodwill, not just during the holiday season, but everyday. I also want to take this opportunity to thank all of you for your support during 2012. It has been an amazing year at Body Grace and we have a lot to look forward to in 2013!

But I am also writing this with a heavy heart; sorry if I’m not feeling too Christmas-y right now.  At a time when I should be enjoying the lights and the festivities of the season, I feel saddened that we are once again grieving the loss of innocent lives in another mass shooting during a time that should be filled
 with joy.  Oh sure, I could vent my anger, putting blame here and there, but I think there is enough of that going around, don’t you?  What I needed was to find some light, and I found it in a quote by Mister Rogers, a man who loved and respected children with all his heart while he was here on earth, and who epitomizes the Christmas spirit:

“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.” To this day, especially in times of “disaster”, I remember my mother’s words and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers – so many caring people in this world.”
Fred Rogers

I’m sure that during the next several days I will continue to shed more tears and pray my little heart out during my meditation time, but in the spirit of Christmas, I will keep my eyes open for all those many caring people in the world who are practicing peace, goodwill and mercy. There is a reason why there is a tree of ‘Love’ painted in the stairwell, because I believe in the end, love will outshine evil and darkness.

Wishing you a season of light and love,
Jan