Warm greetings to you, dear friend.  I hope you are doing well in your world and staying safe and healthy.  But it has been quite the year, hasn’t it?

On a personal level, I lost my mom in April.  I couldn’t be with her during her final days to thank her for her sweet nature.  I couldn’t say my final goodbye or attend a memorial service.  The virus broke my heart, as it broke many hearts, and as it wreaked havoc with so many lives all across the planet.  And it's not over yet.

But the wisdom of Japanese Psychology is such a blessing during difficult times.  It goes beyond superficial answers and shallow strategies for coping with life, and addresses the basic issues that we struggle with in our own hearts, and in our families, communities and our world.  

Today, on Giving Tuesday, we invite you to invest in the work of the ToDo Institute.  

This work teaches us that using our attention skillfully is crucial to our mental health and the health of our relationships.  It reminds us to take responsibility for what we do, no matter how we feel.  It educates us about the ephemeral nature of feelings so that we can coexist with them while taking constructive action. It illuminates the care and support that holds our lives together (even during tough times) and asks us to notice what we are giving back.  And it helps us to accept the shortcomings and mistakes of others, as we look squarely at our own.  This work helps us to make peace with life -- the struggle, the beauty and the mystery of it all.

The generations who follow behind us will have their hands full.  With your support, we become partners, working toward a wise and more loving world. Help us to plant the practices of compassion and the principles of responsibility so they can take root and multiply for the benefit of those who follow behind.

In partnership with you, we look forward to meeting the challenges and sharing the adventures of the year ahead!

Gregg joins me in sending our sincere appreciation.

With warmest wishes,

Linda 

Linda Anderson Krech, LICSW
Program Director
ToDo Institute
PO Box 50, Monkton VT  05469
802-4533-4440 / linda@todoinstitute.org