Here comes the sunshine
Watching, listening to, or reading news reports in the various mediums which are available to us can often be overwhelming and send one into a numbing state of anxiety and hopelessness.
Some of us find ourselves living with loved ones who are acutely mentally ill, dealing with an addiction, or sliding into the abyss of dementia. We cannot abandon those we love just because they are living with an illness. Yet, if we are around negative situations, people or things all the time or a good portion of the time we will find ourselves sliding into a dark hole.
Liz Hofreuter, head of Wheeling Country Day School, in an article in The Wheeling Intelligencer on April 13, 2018 entitled “Fear Hinders Joy of Being a Parent” suggests that: “If we search for it, we can find reasons to be anxious at every turn. If we take a deep breath and fill ourselves with gratitude, we might just turn the tide on anxiety and see joy in moments we least expect.”
It would be easy to dismiss the comments of Mrs. Hofreuter based on one’s assumptions/prejudices about a private school such as Wheeling Country Day. It is true that not everyone can, for various reasons, avail themselves of the opportunity to send children to a school with teachers who create an atmosphere where passion, joy and possibilities dominates. Yet, all of us, even the families whose children attend Wheeling Country Day, have to deal with life on life’s terms. They live in the same world of negative news, deal with ill family members and face the daily demands of expectations which cannot possibly be all met.
As Ms. Hofreuter points out it is not a matter of either – or. Yes, there are reasons to be concerned and even fearful. Even so, I look out this morning and I see signs of new life as spring burst forth.
Tonight, I will join my friend for dinner and a symphony performance. Her father, Rudy, will be with us in spirit. In my memory is a story he told of his being on a train during World War II going with other prisoners he knew not where. He is sick with worry and fear for the safety of his daughter and wife whom who are the center of his world. He is also worried about what is going to happen to him. He is on train car, sans seats, with windows. He looks out the window and they are passing through a section of Germany he always wanted to see. He says to himself, “Rudy you dummy. You cannot do anything about what is going to happen to you. You cannot do anything about your wife and child. The only thing you have control over is whether or not you choose to enjoy this beautiful scenery.” I doubt that he then knew the prayer written by Karl Paul Reinhold Niebuhr first used in a sermon in 1934 but not published in 1951. The short version is, “God grant me the grace to accept with serenity the things that cannot be changed, Courage to change the things which should be changed, and the Wisdom to distinguish one from another.”
The are many similar stories coming out of terrible situations. Without burying our heads in the sand and ignoring what we can do something about, the touch of a friend, the spring flowers, or the magic of music is always present.
If we are to care for each other and to find a way to create a more just world, we must retain our own health. This, as noted by Mrs. Hofreuter, demands that we find and allow ourselves to experience joy and gratitude.
Written April 13, 2018
Watching, listening to, or reading news reports in the various mediums which are available to us can often be overwhelming and send one into a numbing state of anxiety and hopelessness.
Some of us find ourselves living with loved ones who are acutely mentally ill, dealing with an addiction, or sliding into the abyss of dementia. We cannot abandon those we love just because they are living with an illness. Yet, if we are around negative situations, people or things all the time or a good portion of the time we will find ourselves sliding into a dark hole.
Liz Hofreuter, head of Wheeling Country Day School, in an article in The Wheeling Intelligencer on April 13, 2018 entitled “Fear Hinders Joy of Being a Parent” suggests that: “If we search for it, we can find reasons to be anxious at every turn. If we take a deep breath and fill ourselves with gratitude, we might just turn the tide on anxiety and see joy in moments we least expect.”
It would be easy to dismiss the comments of Mrs. Hofreuter based on one’s assumptions/prejudices about a private school such as Wheeling Country Day. It is true that not everyone can, for various reasons, avail themselves of the opportunity to send children to a school with teachers who create an atmosphere where passion, joy and possibilities dominates. Yet, all of us, even the families whose children attend Wheeling Country Day, have to deal with life on life’s terms. They live in the same world of negative news, deal with ill family members and face the daily demands of expectations which cannot possibly be all met.
As Ms. Hofreuter points out it is not a matter of either – or. Yes, there are reasons to be concerned and even fearful. Even so, I look out this morning and I see signs of new life as spring burst forth.
Tonight, I will join my friend for dinner and a symphony performance. Her father, Rudy, will be with us in spirit. In my memory is a story he told of his being on a train during World War II going with other prisoners he knew not where. He is sick with worry and fear for the safety of his daughter and wife whom who are the center of his world. He is also worried about what is going to happen to him. He is on train car, sans seats, with windows. He looks out the window and they are passing through a section of Germany he always wanted to see. He says to himself, “Rudy you dummy. You cannot do anything about what is going to happen to you. You cannot do anything about your wife and child. The only thing you have control over is whether or not you choose to enjoy this beautiful scenery.” I doubt that he then knew the prayer written by Karl Paul Reinhold Niebuhr first used in a sermon in 1934 but not published in 1951. The short version is, “God grant me the grace to accept with serenity the things that cannot be changed, Courage to change the things which should be changed, and the Wisdom to distinguish one from another.”
The are many similar stories coming out of terrible situations. Without burying our heads in the sand and ignoring what we can do something about, the touch of a friend, the spring flowers, or the magic of music is always present.
If we are to care for each other and to find a way to create a more just world, we must retain our own health. This, as noted by Mrs. Hofreuter, demands that we find and allow ourselves to experience joy and gratitude.
Written April 13, 2018
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