Dec9
Tag Archives: compassion
Nov28
thank you for giving.
grandbaby b and daughter deliver
—
three of us:
one daughter, h
one grandie, b
and myself,
(not the wisemen)
delivered gifts
of thanksgiving baskets
filled with donated food
provided by many,
to families
in the struggling community
around the school
where h teaches
each and every day
—
and how lucky
that we were able
to show up
at one of her student’s houses
and the little one was shocked
when she opened the door
and saw her teacher, h
standing there
smiling
with a basket of things
to make her holiday special
and when this child
with so many life challenges understood
that her teacher had chosen her house to visit
she grabbed her hand and didn’t let go
and her baby sister came to join in the fun
and grandbaby b joined in the fun
another surprise
—
and on the next day of school
this little student
who didn’t have much to call her own
brought a gift
to thank her teacher, h
and told her:
“you brought me thanksgiving food so I brought you a balloon.”
and the joy of giving
just kept rolling on.
—
there are those who give with joy, and that joy is their reward.
– khalil gibran
Nov23
warmth.

halifax, nova scotia’s residents have recently been seeing an interesting sight: coats tied to street poles. at first, one might think that these clothes are lost, but they’ve actually been put there for a specific reason. if you look closely, there are labels attached to the jackets that read, “we’re not lost! if you are stuck out in the cold, please take me to keep warm!”
every year, tara smith-atkins works to help the homeless brave winter’s freezing temperatures. she asks the community to donate old coats and then invites local children to help her tie them to lamp posts for those in need. they also bring along scarves and mittens.
as the kids are tying outerwear to the poles, she aims to teach them an important lesson. she explained, “When we got back in the car after an hour on the street, they were all freezing and crying for the heater to be on and complaining because they were cold. and they were bundled up.” not only is the compassionate woman working to help the homeless, she’s also teaching young children the significance of what they’re doing. next year, smith-atkins hopes to include a $5 voucher in each coat pocket so the wearer can buy themselves a hot meal.
—
credits: halifolks, tara smith-atkins, amy poehler’s smart girls, ann gragert
Nov15
see each other through.
Nov13
choice.
Oct28
advice.
out walking with the kinders
i come up behind
an unlikely pair
who generally aren’t together,
mid-conversation.
one who is learning to cope
with separating from a twin,
the other who is having a hard time coping
with separating from a best friend.
the only real separation
is that the friend/twin in each case
wants to seek out other friends
and expand their horizons.
one says to the other,
“i know she wants to play with other people
and when she needs to do that,
i just let her go.
i know it’s what she has to do
and then she comes back later.”
the other responds,
“wow. how do you do that?”
she answers,
“it’s just what you do.”
i am amazed by
this four year-old’s insight and advice,
as many adults
still have not mastered this understanding.
—–
the only thing to do with good advice is to pass it on.
it is never of any use to oneself.
– oscar wilde
—
image credit: google images
Oct3
enchanted.
bee whisperer’s mom,
my daughter,
on our late summer walk
by the river.
bee whisperer,
my grandson/ her son,
on our early summer trip
by the lake.
—-
genetics, gentle compassion, curiosity and nature at play.
—
“it is in our genes to understand the universe if we can,
to keep trying even if we cannot,
and to be enchanted by the act of learning all the way.”
― lewis thomas
May30
how wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world. ~anne frank
grandies j and b
get ready for the big race
their first 5k
as a family
following in the footsteps
of mom and dad
making me proud
all to raise money
and awareness
for the
hope water project
a human cause
that helps bring
clean water to africa
something so many of us
take for granted
each and every day.
checklist:
sweatbands
numbers
water
shorts
smiles
shoes
enthusiasm
hope
empathy
compassion
blanket
ready.
—
every cause produces more than one effect.
– herbert spencer
—
Mar21
happy national common courtesy day.
Feb27












