"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."
- Fred Rogers
I feel unbearable sadness at the images and words that are coming over from Haiti. My life goes on, my boys are here and safe, and I feel immeasurable gratitude for our good fortune. I am reaching out, in whatever ways I can, and places like Partners in Health, The Red Cross, and Yele Haiti have made it incredibly easy to donate money. And, all three organizations already have established presence in Haiti; they know what to do, and how to do it. I choose to ignore the Limbaughs and the Robertsons of the world. Find the people who are helping. Then help them.
- Fred Rogers
I feel unbearable sadness at the images and words that are coming over from Haiti. My life goes on, my boys are here and safe, and I feel immeasurable gratitude for our good fortune. I am reaching out, in whatever ways I can, and places like Partners in Health, The Red Cross, and Yele Haiti have made it incredibly easy to donate money. And, all three organizations already have established presence in Haiti; they know what to do, and how to do it. I choose to ignore the Limbaughs and the Robertsons of the world. Find the people who are helping. Then help them.
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This is a great message, Mia. Who knew Mr. Rogers said such a thing? (Obviously you did.) I contributed to Partners in Health - had supported them before and was so glad to know where to go with a small contribution. Have you talked to your boys about it? Sometimes I wonder whether we should be opening our boys' eyes to the wider world a little more than we are, currently.
ReplyDeleteI so adore Mr Rogers. He was so comforting. Did you know that he was a Presbyterian minister?
ReplyDeletePamela ~ I did talk to Tommy, as it came on the news and he asked some questions. I know, it's so hard! On the one hand, I want to shelter him, and on the other, he's going to grow up...ugh. Parenting is hard! I took the Mr. Rogers tack, actually, and I explained about what happened and I told him, yes, this is so scary and sad, but that whenever people are scared and sad or hurt, you will see other people who are helping them to feel better. And it worked, he liked pointing out the people who were carrying the people out, or hugging the kids. I actually think it helped him to have something to focus on. I turned off the news once he found a few helpers though, because honestly, I still struggle with it!
ReplyDeletePickle ~ I love your blog name! I did not know that, but it doesn't surprise me at all. He had such a gentle soul, and I can just picture him in that role. I thought he was profoundly capable of not just making people feel better about themselves, but also making people feel better about other people. Gosh, I just realized how much I miss him!
"The World According to Mister Rogers" is a great book, and I re-read it often when I just want to get a hug from Mr. Rogers. :)