January 1, 2021
Dear Mountain Shadows Family:
As I was contemplating the past year, these words came to mind:
“A man who becomes conscious of the responsibility he bears toward a human being …
knows the why for his existence, and will be able to bear almost any how.”
The responsibility we bear toward our Mountain Shadows family–our residents, clients and employees– has always been at the very core of what we do at Mountain Shadows; however, the COVID-19 pandemic has added many challenges to how we provide the care that keeps them safe and healthy.
“Forces beyond your control can take away everything you possess except one thing,
your freedom to choose how you will respond to the situation.”
As many of you know, the man who wrote the words above, Viktor Frankl, survived the concentration camps. In his writings, he often recalled a few men who walked through the camps, comforting others, sometimes giving away their last piece of bread in an act of selfless love. Of the experience, Viktor wrote:
“For the first time in my life I saw the truth as it is set into song by so many poets,
proclaimed as the final wisdom by so many thinkers.
The truth – that love is the ultimate and highest goal to which man can aspire.”
I will not compare our challenges to the tragedy of the concentration camps; however, that does not lessen the importance of our responsibilities or the difficulties we now face in caring for those we serve.
But I do believe it is the same calling of the human spirit, the calling toward love shown by those few men in the concentration camp, which propels us in fulfilling our mission to care for the residents and clients of our Mountain Shadows family. They are our why – and to support them, we will weather any how– together.
Together, as the Mountain Shadows family, we chose to respond always with love to the many challenges that came our way in 2020. And we couldn’t have done it without you – without your dedicated work and support, your volunteer efforts, your donations – without your love and caring. Because of you, the lives of those we serve have been enriched.
It is our hope, and our aspiration, that our shared why will continue to inspire us all in working together toward our highest goal of providing a safe, supportive, loving environment in which our residents and clients can thrive in the coming New Year.
And we wish you, and your loved ones, a happy and healthy New Year … no matter what how may come.
Wade Wilde
Executive Director/CFO
