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“Light as a Feather”
For years François was our chief security guard in Boston at WGBH's main entrance, manning his post with a flair and bonhomie all his own. Without exception, every person who passed by him got a special word of hello and farewell. He neglected no one, from the biggest stars of theater, film and TV, to job seekers off the street. Welcoming everyone, in fact, was his one and only activity as a security guard and, I suspect, his idea of how best to protect our building from harm. François' boss didn't share his philosophy and, eventually, François was let go. Before he left, I asked François to spend a little time talking with me in the studio. Here is a bit of what he said.
Welcome to Hi, Tony!
Unforgettable moments in the lives of ordinary people around the world.
From the creator and host of Public Radio's WGBH Morning Stories, Tony Kahn.
From the Archives
“The Labyrinth”
Like François, Jackie Lantry grew up in poverty, with a father who had little confidence he had done right by his children or could be forgiven. Like François, Jackie found her own way to show him he had nothing to apologize for.
We called her story, "The Labyrinth."
Listen to “Light as a Feather”
December 19 Now June Roses Day
Georgia:
I keep meaning to ask you, if you don't mind, which holiday(s) do you celebrate, if any, this time of year?
Tony:
To answer your questions about holidays: none of them. I didn't have much formal religion. We were Hollywood pagans who celebrated retail Christmas, we moved to 99.9% Catholic Mexico where my classmates told me I was Jewish and would burn in hell for killing Jesus Christ, we relocated to Manchester, NH where the local Jewish congregation ostracized us a Communists, and I spent the '60s and '70s dabbling in Sufism, Yogic teachings, and several kinds of Buddhism as mental disciplines that might give me a peek at Reality. I have had some experiences that I guess you could call moments of spiritual ecstasy, one when I was about four years old during a car ride with my parents, one in the middle of a freezing winter night in upstate rural New York that was pitch dark and pierced by the howl of a distant wolf, one in my twenties in the middle of Arizona at one of the lowest moments in my life, and one in my late fifties when I realized how deeply I loved my son. I never thought about it until your question, but if I celebrated any holidays, it would be the anniversaries of those moments.
Georgia:
I so appreciated your reply to my question about holidays. I thought it over last night and realized it's time to declare an entirely new one for us to share as friends. June Roses Day.
There's a James Barrie quote: "God gave us memories that we might have June roses in the December of our lives." For me that means two things, (1) grow the roses—have the experiences, and (2) harvest the roses—record and remember the stories.
I see it as a day to celebrate the treasured stories of our lives—the ones we want to share, as well as the ones we might rather hold quietly sacred—memories, turning points, epiphanies, ecstatic beauties, gratitudes, interactions, "hostage" situations, anniversaries written in the heart . . . and of course the stories we have yet to write.
You've traveled a long, rough road, methinks. I am amazed at the number of stories hinted at in your single paragraph. I'd love to hear them all, if they ever want to be told.
And so, I hereby declare December 19th to be June Roses Day. How do YOU think such a day should be celebrated?
Well, Georgia, how better than to announce it here! And throw the doors open to whoever wants to join us.
PS—Georgia, more of your stories, too.
(from iTunes)
