A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

The phone rang as I crawled out of bed on January 1^st.  On the line was my brother wishing me a Happy New Year.  The previous evening, he and my sister-in-law had spent a night on the town, taking in dinner and a movie, the recent flick, “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood”.  Gord’s encouragement to see the TIFF-premiered story of Mr. Fred Rogers found me on an early morning hike to secure the two remaining tickets for the late afternoon showing.

My friend Yvonne and I settled into the SilverCity recliners to watch the famous Mr. Rogers, a preschool icon of the best in children’s television for over 30 years.  I was eager to hear his message.  As a young adult in the ‘60s, I had glanced at Mr. Rogers’ program and dismissed it as juvenile, even saccharine.  How wrong I was.

As “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” unfolded, I was pulled into the amazing talent of this intelligent, faith-filled artistic, caring man who understood children and treated each one with the utmost kindness and respect.

Through his mantra, “Won’t you be my neighbor?” and the activities of life in an onscreen cartoonish neighborhood, Mr. Rogers taught children about the tender virtues of love, patience and respect while living and loving in their own neighborhood.

The huge swath of Mr. Rogers’ influence was demonstrated when a group of young adult passengers on a subway recognized Mr. Rogers and launched into a spontaneous and rousing rendition of his theme song.  Without doubt, I realized that Mr. Rogers’ work had left an indelible mark on lives that spanned several generations.

Mr. Roger’s life was devoted not only to children but also to his employees and everyone whom he met.  In fact, the movie’s focus was seen through the eyes of journalist Tom Junod, a young husband and father whose life and the lives of his family were changed radically due to Mr. Roger’s influence.

I hope you can make time to see “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood”.

A documentary on the life of Mr. Rogers, “Won’t You Be My Neighbor”  is currently on Netflix.

Submitted by Sister Jean Moylan

Welcome to Our Home

More than once in my travels, I’ve heard an interesting adage concerning hospitality in a business or other endeavor. It explains that upon crossing the threshold of such a place, the attitude of the first person that one meets conveys an enduring impression of the whole enterprise and what occurs there.   Often, I recall this statement in reference to the reception area of our Sisters of St. Joseph London residence.  Countless times a day, the large, glass front doors slide open to admit a variety of people who enter our home for various reasons. 

If you happen to arrive at our residence during the week, you’ll be greeted by a smile and cheery, “Hello.  How may I help you?” from Natalie, our main receptionist and Sister Paulette who fills in for Natalie during breaks and at lunch time.

Although visitors describe our home as a haven of tranquility, the action at the front desk is often brisk with the comings and goings of Sisters and visitors.  Natalie and Sr. Paulette are up to their task taking incoming and outgoing calls, routing and rerouting people arriving for meetings, staff members arriving and leaving, taxis and Voyageur transportation waiting and our dependable driver taking Sisters to appointments and a host of other duties.

Sometimes Natalie’s and Sr. Paulette’s shining interpersonal skills are stretched to the limit when sizable gatherings occur in our spacious front foyer next to the reception area. For example, the Intergenerational Choir of around 70 singers gathers in the foyer to socialize before and after weekly sessions in the acoustically resonant chapel.  Often, Sisters and guests at festive occasions make the wide-open foyer ring with the laughter and joy of happy meetings. On Sundays, neighbours join us for liturgy of Eucharist. Our congregation associates attend special celebrations and meetings; the list continues.  All these events begin in the well-used foyer under the far-seeing eyes of our trusty receptionists.

Through thick and thin, Natalie and Sr. Paulette display good humour and hospitality while exemplifying grace under pressure.   Natalie’s many years of business administration and Sr. Paulette’s four decades as a school principal followed by twenty years as a child and family counsellor have been perfect backgrounds for their task of extending peace, kindness and information from their perch in the little reception area.

Many of us have had the experience of entering an office area where the receptionist fails to nod and greet us. The work at hand seems to be the priority and I am not. However, a busy person on the phone who establishes eye contact, smiles and nods to acknowledge our presence can lift our spirits and relax our bodies as we wait patiently for assistance.  In today’s often hard-nosed world, let’s not forget that simple gestures of kindness and positive regard for others can increase faith and help to make the world a more pleasant place to live.

Let’s make all our encounters times of gracious welcome and friendly hospitality.

 - Sister Jean Moylan, csj