Look for the helpers.
“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.”
Quote from Fred Rogers
He was so right. The horror of that massacre in Connecticut and the bravery of those teachers are forever intertwined in my mind. How awful and yet so fitting that this happened during Advent, the season of hope and waiting for the light to shine through the darkness. At first glance this tragedy is all darkness, but the acts of bravery by the teachers, the compassion of the first responders and the outpouring of grief and sympathy from all over the world has shone a little bit of light in the blackest of times.
Yesterday I talked to my friend who is a principal in Massachusetts about this quote. She was despairing about her inability to guarantee that nothing would ever happen to her beloved students. I told her that no one had that power here on earth, but that we all have the power to be the helpers and that she had been a helper her whole life. Just because she couldn't solve the world's problems all by herself didn't mean her work was in vain or that she had failed.
Hopefully, in the weeks and months to come, the helpers that have more power than I will be able to enact some common sense gun regulations that the whole country can get behind. Meanwhile, I plan on staving off despair by reminding myself to be the helper to others in whatever way I can.
*hugs to my flist*
Quote from Fred Rogers
He was so right. The horror of that massacre in Connecticut and the bravery of those teachers are forever intertwined in my mind. How awful and yet so fitting that this happened during Advent, the season of hope and waiting for the light to shine through the darkness. At first glance this tragedy is all darkness, but the acts of bravery by the teachers, the compassion of the first responders and the outpouring of grief and sympathy from all over the world has shone a little bit of light in the blackest of times.
Yesterday I talked to my friend who is a principal in Massachusetts about this quote. She was despairing about her inability to guarantee that nothing would ever happen to her beloved students. I told her that no one had that power here on earth, but that we all have the power to be the helpers and that she had been a helper her whole life. Just because she couldn't solve the world's problems all by herself didn't mean her work was in vain or that she had failed.
Hopefully, in the weeks and months to come, the helpers that have more power than I will be able to enact some common sense gun regulations that the whole country can get behind. Meanwhile, I plan on staving off despair by reminding myself to be the helper to others in whatever way I can.
*hugs to my flist*
We all have to be helpers.
Right on. *hugs*
The horrible, horrible blackness of evil people is always going to be around in one form or another. What most makes a difference is the way we all respond to it, and how we respond to each other, in all sorts of circumstances.
*HUGS* you tightly*
This has been on my mind the past several evenings as we sat down as a family and "did Advent" (our church does a book of devotions, one for every day of Advent, and we sit down and read it together every evening).
We always ask the question (usually it's Maggie, as the youngest, who asks it), "Why do we light these candles?" and then one of the other kids answers, "We light the first candle for hope. We light the second candle for peace. And we light the third candle for joy." Those words--hope, peace, joy (and, after next Sunday, love)--are powerful for me right now. Lighting the candles, seeing how much light just one candle brings to a darkened room, and then adding another and another... it's been a really strong reminder to me to try to "be the light." What I love about the quote from Fred Rogers is that it's been a bit of a kick in the pants to me on how I can be the light.
Be the light. Be a helper. That's my goal right now.
(Sometimes LJ needs to have a couple more things in common w/FB. Most of the time, though, it's the other way 'round, IMO ;-))
Be the light - so simple, isn't it? (And yet so difficult to practice) *hugs* Thanks for the good thoughts.