Like so many of you, I’m currently caught between what the calendar is telling me (Tis the season! Peace on Earth! Good will toward men!) and what has been occurring in our world.

I believe that, as a nation, our heart was broken by what occurred in Newtown, CT.

And while tragedy is heartbreaking anytime, when an event of this kind occurs near this season of joy, it’s hard not to feel bipolar, schizoid… After all, how do you reconcile what amounts to a national disaster with having a conversation about ski boots or wrapping presents or New Year’s Eve plans?

But some people do.

Others don’t.

All I know is that each of us has to do the next, right thing for ourselves.

Because even though events of this kind are becoming shockingly frequent, there is still no ‘right’ way to react/think/feel.

No matter what others around you may be saying, thinking or feeling.

(Or saying about how you are reacting, or what you are saying, thinking or feeling.)

And judging others for their choices only creates division between us—and I think we’ve had plenty of that.

So this is my holiday message (Having to write a holiday message was definitely contributing to my feeling schizoid.)

I know each of us wants to do the right thing—and that is going to look different for each person.

It’s not our job to judge how others manage their grief/pain/fear. It’s our job to stay in touch with our own and—to the best of our ability—to transform it in such a way that 2013 is truly a year of peace on earth, and goodwill toward men.

I hope you know love, blessings, and joy, peace, gratitude, and grace in the New Year.

I look forward to sharing it with you,

Frances Cole Jones