PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
The other day, my son and I went to Chick-fil-A. We like parking the car and then going inside to the takeout line. As we walked up to the door, we arrived at the same time as a young high school kid. Before we could do anything, he opened the door for us. I thanked him and said that was kind of him to do that. He responded by saying that his parents taught him right. I was impressed and asked him what he planned to do after he graduated. He said that he was going to join the Marines. I thought that there’s still hope for all of us.
For Christmas my wife gave me a little book entitled “The World According to Mister Rogers”. As you may know, Fred Rogers spent his early adult life as a college student at Rollins College in Winter Park. He never lost his connection to the area or the campus. Later in life, he would spend the month of January in Winter Park and on Campus as a sabbatical from his television show. My daughter, who attended Rollins, met him one afternoon in January while he was walking along.
The book comprises sayings that he collected that were meaningful to him and help direct his life. In his wallet, tucked away next to his neatly folded bills, was the following quote by Bessie Anderson Stanley. “He has achieved success who has lived well, laughed often, and loved much, who has enjoyed the trust of pure women, the respect of intelligent men, and the love of little children, who has filled his niche and accomplished his task, who has left the world better than he found it, whether by an improved poppy, a perfect poem, or a rescued soul, who has never lacked appreciation of Earth’s beauty or failed to express it, who has always looked for the best in others and given them the best he had, whose life was an inspiration, whose memory a benediction.” Those words are very powerful and were lived out in the life of Fred Rogers.
Fred Rogers’ wife writes the introduction to the book, and she describes their first meeting and their life together. They were both very busy people; she says, that in spite of his being human, she always put him on a pedestal. Then she says, “Oh, did I mention what a kind person he was?”Wouldn’t it be nice if people could say that about you? Kindness is a very powerful thing. It is a type of behavior marked by acts of generosity, concern for others, and rendering assistance without expecting praise or a reward in return. Small acts of kindness can have a huge impact on lives, yours and others, and they also can make you happy.
Last year, a group of local people held the inaugural Mister Rogers’ Week of Kindness in Orlando. The purpose was to encourage and inspire people to practice kindness. This year, April 1-6, is the second annual Week of Kindness. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if people would practice kindness every week of the year? Acts of kindness can go a long way in strengthening our neighborhood, our city, our county, our country and our world. Kindness can penetrate a lot of barriers and bring people together.
Dr. Kurt Miericke
THOA President
Publisher, Tuscawilla TodayI
Tuscawilla Homeowners Association
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