There is a scripture quote that says, “Unless you become like little children, you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven.”  When I first heard this I thought, “How is this possible?”  Then one day I heard an interpretation of it to mean; becoming a child does not refer to being “childish” but to be “child-like.”  So when I saw this photo, I thought child-like is a rather beautiful way to see the world and to live the world’s reality.

The child accepts people as they are and only reacts to others after people react to them.  They accept others at their face value.  They are open, true, genuine, hold no grudges, are giving and open their arms to the world in a completely free fashion.  They in turn, help us to be real to each other, to not play silly games with anothers emotional state, to remain honest and open within ourselves, and in a sense, become more real like little children, accepting, etc.

The world would not get much accomplished if we stayed like children, but would not our world be a better place if we kept the innocence of the child, the free acceptance of others as to who they are, and the pouring forth of freedom to be okay with who I am with others as I encounter others?  Can you imagine the reality?  Can anyone look at a child and see hatred?  Can we see prejudice?  Small minded thinking?  Or is the world open to everyone to be embraced by all.  The free acceptance of the child.

This is what I think Christmas is all about.  The excitement in the eyes of the child and the amazement at what it sees in the decorated tree, in the gift that is given and in the celebration of the event of the day.  Maybe we need to see Christmas through the eyes of the child, or the child within us all.

No matter what your religious beliefs or religious persuasions, that little child is tucked somewhere within us all and we need to bring it out to get the full impact of the moment.  If you do so, your holiday event will never be the same again.  It will always be seen through the eyes of the child.  And your joy will be filled.

Happy Holidays to all!

Gabe Guerrieri

Yesterday, Sunday, at Sacred Heart Church in Camden, myself and the congregation heard from Father Michael Doyle a list of 47 people who were murdered in Camden in a one year period. Most were young in their early twenty’s, a few older, but most were shot to death, some were stabbed to death,  a few very young people where shacken to death, and my mouth just hung open.  Last week I wrote to everyone about the value and beauty of Thanksgiving and the meaning it had for me - the simple task of sitting with family and friends and eating a meal, and most importantly, talking.  Yesterday I reflected on the fact that the people who died will never have the chance to enjoy that meal, and the family members will be scarred for life by experiencing the loss of their loved ones.  Where does one go with that knowledge?  Who hears us when we say enough is enough - enough of this senseless killing.  From where I am sitting, Camden is but a few miles from my desk and yet I know it is a different place with different problems then those I expereince every day.  Does anyone listen to those concerns or what does it take to turn people’s heads around to appreciate the fact that another human being is not here. 

I still will look forward to Thanksgiving dinner.  But maybe, just maybe, my senses will be a little more heightened as I think of those who have less then I do at this time.  I still will give thanks for that which I have, for the many blessings that have been bestoved on me and my family.  I will miss my daughter who died in April;  will miss all the little blessings she herself gave to our family and at the meal I will pray for her and for all the people who were taken from us in Camden.  Maybe if we globally look at the world as a whole we might be able to include more people into our world to protect them as well from harm.  Maybe that is something I can do!

Gabe Guerrieri, Executive Director, Genesis

Many people have been pushing me to write down some of my thoughts on a variety of topics - to share myself with others or possibly a different twist to an old topic of life.  I hope you will find this interesting and will look forward to future writings as they occur.  I will try my hand at this, hopefully every two weeks or as time allows.

Those of you who already know me or know of the work Genesis does, knows that my daughter died six months ago of colon cancer after a six year battle.  Six years ago, Kathy gave us our first granddaughter, Emma, who is the delight of our life.  Those of you who have suffered the loss of a close friend and moreso the loss of a daughter or son, already know how we are feeling and the hurt does not go away.  To all the people who have sent letters, notes, cards, etc to my wife and I, we say a heartfelt thank you for your support and kind wishes.

 The season of Thanksgiving is rapidly approaching and in a small amount of time everyone will, in some tradition or other, sit down with family and friends to share a meal on that day.  For me, it is by far my most favorite holiday.  It is unpretentious; no gifts are presumed; no last minute running to the store because you have to save face with another gift that you forgot to get;  It is just a simple day where we sit down together and share either an elaborate meal, or a simple basic meal that we all  enjoy.  It is my favorite holiday because at our house or the house we visit that day, we all take the time to eat and talk.  The simple eating and talking are the two things I cherish the most.  To fill my stomach with food with people who mean something to me, and the taking of time to sit and talk with those people are two of the richest thoughts of my time.  I offer this to you: instead of getting up from the dinner table after eating, take time to stay at the table to talk to the others gathered and learn who they are, what they feel about life, how they see things that trouble so many people in our world… and in so doing, you will open your world and they in turn will do the same for you.  Then you will be satisfied in two ways: you will feel the nourishment of the meal, and you will broaden your world in how others feel and think about things.  Then the meal is a true sharing and a true giving thanks for the many blessings you already have.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!! 

Human development is ever changing. Genesis Centers is a nonprofit organization that believes in the possibility of growth and transformation for every individual. It is our mission to provide the therapeutic support, care and education to aid people in reaching their goals while they manage the symptoms of everyday problems and mental illness or strive to overcome the destructive effects of chemical addiction.

Stay in touch with Genesis Centers at www.genesiscenters.org