:Quaint huts with thatched roofs, mossy hillsides, farmland marked by stone walls, cobbled pathways and hand-hewn wooden fenceposts. That's how I describe my own fables: most are set in a small village that exists out-of-time, but for reference's sake, resembles a somewhat mystical community of the medieval period. It can be more of a short tale of a legendary person or circumstance.Īnd for me, the word 'fable' encapsulates an idea of context: the word itself evokes a sense that the story is going to be set in a time or place that is not modern. For instance, the story does not have to include animals. Many people think of fables as short stories, with a moral lesson, in which the characters are animals with anthropomorphic qualities.īut the definition of the word 'fable' has other aspects too. Original Fables for Adults (and kids!) penned by author Marianne Puechl Not any of those captures the meaning in entirety: I believe Mr. Or perhaps the most obvious to me: temperance. I share his words, in case you too may need to read them this day. So in all that you do in all of your life, I wish you the strength and the grace to make those choices which will allow you and your neighbor to become the best of whoever you are.' that deep part of you that allows you to stand for those things without which humankind cannot survive: love that conquers hate, peace that rises triumphant over war, and justice that proves more powerful than greed. When I say, 'It's you I like,' I'm talking about that part of you that knows that life is far more than anything you can ever see or hear or touch. 'You don't ever have to do anything sensational for people to love you. In recent days, this is a concept I've found myself yet again faced with, particularly when listening to headlines both here in the USA and certainly around the globe.Īnd tonight, perusing Fred Rogers' important keepsake book (for as it happens a seemingly unrelated reason) 'The World According to Mister Rogers: Important Things to Remember,' I am brought to these vital and heartfelt words. In so many situations, I don't understand how those ideals can motivate an individual beyond a certain point. Greed for money, greed for power, greed for control. There have been many moments in my life when I have struggled with how to psychologically respond to greed. Not a lack of righteousness or even a lack of peace. Rogers poses the antonym of 'justice' as being 'greed.' Not unfairness. And yet the particular passage to which I'm referring may in fact not be the first one to come to mind. To find peace (or at least calm) in the presence of his work -for those of us who grew up watching his television show- is something I suppose that is automatically assumed.

I found peace in a short passage tonight from the writing of Fred Rogers. A bit of peace on an early Spring evening.

The Locket by Marianne Puechl