Our Treasurer, Robin Fryer CPA, FCCA, CA(SA), recently shared a beautiful reflection on the holiday season on LinkedIn. With  his kind permission, we share it with you below:

The other day, growing tired of the continuous Christmas music on the radio, I tossed an old CD into my car’s CD player—yes, my car is also old and has one. The CD is a medley of songs written by singer-songwriters, some famous, others less so. Around the middle of the CD is a song I had long forgotten: “Hands” by Jewel (Kilcher), the last song she wrote for her second album, Spirit, released in 1998.

It is certainly not a Christmas song, but for me it captures the meaning of this season perfectly well. Jewel sings most of the lyrics softly, and the words are hard to follow—at least while driving a car. However, around the middle of this four-minute ballad, Jewel raises her soprano voice to deliver this chorus:

In the end only kindness matters
In the end only kindness matters

Having now read the lyrics (and watched the music video recorded for the song’s release, which dramatically portrays the meaning of this chorus), I can share that the song conveys her deep faith in God. It reflects a moment that transformed her life; you can read about that, and why the song is titled “Hands,” on Google if you’re interested.

All I can say is that this chorus resonated with me and feels especially appropriate at this time of year in a world facing daunting challenges.

And what gave me immense hope was that the Wits Fund was able to send substantial sums to Wits – Wits alumni showing that kindness matters. Members of the Wits Fund board and I grew up in worlds of different faiths but it matters not – if you are committed to good work that is what matters.
 
Let’s not forget:
In the end, only kindness matters.

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