the wonderful legend of one of my very favorite plants.
kindness, compassion, and gratitude at play.
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image credit: purple almond
Mar14
Tag Archives: compassion
Mar2
gentle.
kinder gently tucks his little ones in when playing dad.
—
“a gentle heart is tied with an easy thread.”
-george herbert
Feb21
inclusion.
the kinders made a wonderful house for rocket the turtle,
with many rooms and spaces,
including his very own garden and library.
—
“until he extends his circle of compassion to include all living things,
man will not himself find peace.”
-albert schweitzer
Jan21
each other.
“people fail to get along because they fear each other;
they fear each other because they don’t know each other;
they don’t know each other
because they have not communicated with each other.”
– dr. martin luther king, jr.
—
image credit: shutterstock
Nov18
art is long.
one grandpa, one art, one village
“life is short, art is long.”
— john ringling
—
video credit: bbc news
Nov5
warm.
each year
i happily take part
in a wonderful program
to help warm the children.
through the generosity of the local community
money and time are donated
to provide new warm clothing for children in need.
children are referred
by school counselors and social workers.
these families meet with volunteer shoppers
to help with the process.
all of the money raised
goes directly to purchasing clothing,
with no administrative costs
subtracted from the donations.
i am one of the volunteers who take the families shopping
and never fail to be amazed by the people i meet.
on my shopping trip this year
i met a single mother whose husband had died
raising sons, 12 and 16
supporting them by working at mcdonald’s,
her oldest son works at taco bell
she’s had a rough time of things lately
extra money has been harder to come by
both sons are in school, play football, and do chores at home.
when i asked how she was able to do it all
she told me, “life goes up and down. you just do what you have to do.”
after we shopped for her sons’ winter clothing
we made our way to the register.
just ahead of us in line
another family was checking out
who were also program recipients.
after being rung up, it was discovered
that they had gone just a bit over their allotted budget
and were going to have to put something back.
immediately
the mother i had shopped with
reached into her purse
and gave them the $1.89 they needed.
what an incredibly generous act of compassion
from someone who had so little herself
as she helped someone else to warm their children
when we checked out and went to leave
she hugged me and said,
“thank you so much, i always pay it forward.”
—
“to keep a warm heart in winter is the real victory.”
-marty rubin
participating partners: kiwanis club of ann arbor, washtenaw county, walmart, mlive, old national bank, ann arbor news
Oct24
rise above ourselves.
This image took my breath away, in it I’m sure we all recognize a hundred faces of our own nieces, daughters and little friends. How refugee children sleep in Europe in 2018…. I wish for her a warm bed with the softest blankets and a princess netting just because it’s pretty, not to keep out hundreds of mosquitoes, and a nightlight in the shape of the moon. All of these things inside a safe and happy home. A garden and toys to play with, a school to go to. Just the normal and most basic rights for any child. – m. graeve
—
‘compassion brings us to a stop, and for a moment we rise above ourselves.’
-mason cooley
—
image credit: muhammed muheisen,
story credits: open homes open hearts, merel graeve – stories from the ground
Oct8
all part of one another.
what a totally unexpected and much appreciated kindness:
a sympathy card in the mail
signed by every person in my vet’s office
after helping my pet to pass on peacefully
on my last trip there.
—
“the whole idea of compassion is based on a keen awareness
of the interdependence of all these living beings,
which are all part of one another, and all involved in one another.”
-thomas merton
Oct5
giving.
‘help yourself, but please leave bowl. enjoy!’
another friendly neighbor’s offering
left on the steps to their house
discovered while out walking.
—
‘the people who give you their food, give you their heart.’
-cesar chavez
Aug2
from the heart.
walking up to the register
i saw the cashier
a bit of an awkward, gawky type
with kind eyes and a worried face
who didn’t appear to have a lot of self-confidence
having just finished with a customer
he was ready to deal with my order.
his head was down
i said hello
he looked at me and said
“that last customer told me to smile.
he has no idea how hard it is for me
how hard it is to be here right now
no idea what im dealing with
what i’m going through
how it’s a miracle i’m even here
it would be really hard for anyone
i have to be here until midnight
this is just the beginning of my shift.”
as he quietly told me this
tears began to slowly roll down his face
he grabbed a box of tissues to wipe them away
all the while continuing to check me out.
we bagged my things together
as he went on –
“they told me to hold in my emotions
but i think its okay to show them
what’s wrong with that, i think it’s a good thing?”
when he finished with my order
his manager came over
with a compassionate and not angry face
without a word
took over his register
i thanked him for helping me
agreed that it’s certainly okay to feel and express things
told him that i hope things will get better
he walked off in silence and punched out
i hope that he takes a long break
goes home for the day
whatever he needs
has someone waiting for him who will support him
i don’t think he wanted an answer from me
just wanted me to listen
to acknowledge his humanity
his struggles, his emotions
tell him that it was okay for him to feel and express them
i hope he is back when i stop in for my weekly grocery shop.
i hope that things are better.
—
“tears come from the heart and not from the brain.”
-leonardo da vinci
I didn't have my glasses on.... 