Yesterday my friend forwarded me a beautiful email her very eloquent Mother had sent her about the Boston explosions. In it, she talked about the Mr. Rogers (yes, the one and only) quote that has been in the news so much:
’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.’ ~Mr. Rogers.
I love that thought of helping children (and ourselves) shift focus from the darkness to the light.
Here’s a little excerpt from the email:
“the idea [from the news coverage] was that [Mr. Rogers] felt sure that if [children] would cultivate an eye for the good, they would surely see beautiful, kind behaviors emerge in response to the horrible ones, and that those kind behaviors would offer a healing, hopeful alternative to the ugliness that had left them full of fear.
So, the Mary Poppins in me has turned from the video segments of the horror of the blasts to the images and stories of the Good Samaritans who promptly stepped forward to be helpers. The light will forever crowd out the darkness.”
I just thought that was so beautifully put.
It lingered in my mind when I saw this picture my friend put on Instagram:
…and brought tears to my eyes as it reminded me how I want my first response to things like this to be just like this woman’s was.
Yes, there is darkness in this world of ours. But there is also goodness and hope and light. How grateful I am for that light that will, as my friend’s wise mother stated, “forever crowd out the darkness.”
The “look for the helpers” quote made it’s way into a completely unrelated conversation Dave and I had last night and I realized it can relate to everything in life.
It’s not just in times of horror and devastation we need to look for those helpers (or for that light). There are “helpers” (translated in my mind as inspiration, light and beauty) surrounding us every day. If we LOOK for them and recognize they are there rather than focusing on frustration about the mundane and trivial things that come along our paths, light fills in all the nooks and crannies of life and feeds us love and hope rather than worry and despair.
I’m committed to look for those helpers a little more as I seek to become a better helper myself.
Labels: thoughts