Dear Friends,

Well, the world did not come to a crashing end today regardless of the Mayan’s prediction (we’re still on the lookout for fireballs, though), but we have reached the Winter Solstice and the days are starting to get longer.

I wanted to say something about the horrendous tragedy at Sandy Hook but my assistant, Kerry Westhelle, beat me to the punch with this eloquent note. I could not have said it better:

“Along with the rest of the nation, our staff watched last Friday’s events at Sandy Hook unfold with horror and disbelief. I myself have a 6-year-old and found it hard to even comprehend that such a thing could happen, or to imagine what those parents must be going through.

I won’t be standing on a soapbox and telling everyone what should be done to avert tragedies like these in the future, because it is far too complicated an issue for any one solution to work. What we do need, in this situation and many others, is for both sides to sit down and honestly look at what is important, and that is the safety of our children. First and foremost, this is our responsibility. No politics or special interest groups should get in the way of this.

It can be easy to get caught up in the chaos of the holidays, looking for the newest “it” toy, running here and there to get everything done. We ourselves are in the business of making money and the holiday season can set the bar for the rest of the year. When something like this happens, it makes us all stop and think about what is truly important.

In this busy season take a few moments to reach out to others, donate a toy, donate food, extend a smile. We can all do things to make a difference. While we cannot change what happened, we can attempt to drive out the darkness with light.

Love one another.”