From the Desk of Ms. Crystal-June
Dear Showcase parents and dancers,
When I sat down to write this post, I had a hard time at first finding the words to express the gratitude I’ve been feeling about our virtual recital experience. To see our dancers giving their all during our performances online, and to see families coming together from all across the world to celebrate them … it has been heart-warming to say the least. I knew back in March we were all going to make the very best lemonade possible out of these pandemic lemons, but WOW. I am just so proud of our SDS kids and the grit and grace they continue to show in light of the current situation!
Now, as we keep moving forward, I’ve realized that our June Believe Challenge to BEforgiving ties in perfectly with the current circumstances. Because to BEforgiving, we must realize that there are things we can’t control … but what we can control is our reaction to things that happen to us. I want our students to understand that their reactions say a lot about their character, and that when they choose to BEforgiving, they are choosing empathy and graciousness.
If you are committed to BEforgiving, here are some ideas to put your commitment into action:
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Be willing to listen when someone wants to explain their side of the story
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Accept someone’s apology if you believe they are genuine
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Choose not to hold grudges
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Be kind to yourself when you don’t do as well at something as you expected
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Remember that everyone’s situation is unique; put yourself in someone else’s shoes to try to understand their perspective
When you decide to BEforgiving, you set an intention to let go of hard feelings and embrace differences and difficulties as opportunities to learn. That doesn’t mean it’s easy to BEforgiving, but it does mean it’s worth practicing so that you can build stronger relationships and more confidence in yourself.
I believe the world needs more grace and compassion, now more than ever. To BEforgiving is to be able to look beyond the momentary hurt or temporary disappointment and see that there is a way to step forward graciously. My hope is that our SDS students and families can find peace in their own practices of forgiveness, just as I have experienced in mine.
With gratitude and an open heart,
Ms. Crystal
