A Few of Our Favorite Things

Dear Friends,

In our staff meeting last week, we found ourselves talking about the sights, sounds and smells of the holiday season. Twinkling lights and candles, music that reminds us of time with loved ones, and the smell of a favorite food wafting from the kitchen.

They’re our “favorite things” because they evoke the intangible – connection, awe, a sense of peace. Peace has been on my mind throughout this holiday season. Like a tired child, I feel insistent that “we need peace.”

We need a multifaceted peace: fear, distress and disorientation replaced by an infinite calm. We need a peace that is so much more than the absence of war. We need people getting along and everyone having enough. We need a holistic sense of wellbeing and the opportunity for each person to truly thrive.

Blanton-Peale is a place of peace for so many New Yorkers. We provide great therapy that helps push through the numbness and overcome suffering, loss and a sense of abandonment. We do so with eyes wide open to the oppression and trauma experienced by so many. We’re attuned to the cultural, societal and spiritual aspects. And this holistic approach is reflected in our training programs.

I am yearning for peace this year. And I am yearning for it for you. May you enjoy your favorite things this holiday season, and may they help you wrap your arms around joy and peace.