When asked how many children he thought he had influenced, Mr. Rogers said, “I don’t care how many, even if it’s just one.

We get so wrapped up in numbers in our society. The most important thing is that we are able to be one-to-one, you and I with each other at the moment. If we can be present to the moment with the person that we happen to be with, that’s what’s important.”

I mention this because of the similarity I feel between those words and our lives at Freedom.  The ability to be present in the moment applies not just with our members, but with each other.

Work gets busy, lives get chaotic, things happen unexpectedly, so it’s so important that we are aware and mindful of what is happening at this very moment.

The biggest gift we can each give ourselves is the gift of being present — engaged with life, connected with each other, listening with kindness, staying open-minded, free from judgment.