As we close out this year, we are reminded that 2020 has been difficult across all nations and societies. Here at Pace, we are taking a moment to observe that one of the lessons of this tumultuous year is the ever-repeating truth that we can’t always have the good without the bad. We should look within and beyond to discover goodness and be grateful for it.
Romanian born Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel was sixteen years old when the Buchenwald concentration camp near Weimar, Germany (where Wiesel was one of over 21,000 prisoners) was liberated on April 11, 1945 by elements of the United States Third Army. Out of his immediate family, his two oldest sisters and he survived the Holocaust. His mother, father, and youngest sister did not. Wiesel lived on, authored fifty-seven books, became a professor of humanities at Boston University, and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986. The Nobel Committee called Wiesel a “messenger to mankind,” citing his “practical work in the cause of peace,” and his messages of “peace, atonement, and human dignity.”
Wiesel lived a full life, eventually marrying in 1969. He and his wife had a son, whom they named after Wiesel’s father. Wiesel died peacefully at his home in New York City in 2016, aged 87.
“For me, every hour is grace. And I feel gratitude in my heart each time I can meet someone and look at his or her smile.” – Elie Wiesel
As we reflect on this year 2020, we are grateful for all our Pace Family – our teammates, the customers we serve, our customers’ customers, and the contractors, vendors, and friends who make our business work. We are grateful for the spirit of serving relentlessly – for helping each other and taking care of one another. We hope that we’ve perhaps learned more about ourselves, about the strength and goodness we all have within, and about accepting that good times and bad times are both authentic life experiences. It is only when we are fully present and engaged in these experiences that we can recognize life’s gifts and riches, thereby discovering true peace and happiness.
We wish you all a happy, healthy holiday season and a thorough reflection on your year – 2020.
