Posts Tagged ‘small miracles’
“Just begin–one, one, one.”
My Mom taught me compassion. I’m sure yours did too. It wasn’t just what she said, but it was what she did. In her small way she responded to the pain of others and understood their disappointments. She saw disappointments and struggles growing up during the Great Depression. She saw hardships and knew that, for the most part, everyone tried their best–then and now, but that we all don’t come from the same place and we all don’t have the same opportunities. We just don’t. Some of us get a head start. I know I did.
Mom showed me in real ways her empathy and compassion for people she didn’t know. She helped Native Americans as they suffered at the hands of injustice. Mom hasn’t a drop of American Indian blood in her, be she felt the bloodstream of their lives drain from what was rightfully their legacy. She opened her heart to attempt to feel an ounce of their pain. As she did, so did I.
If we can step away from that arrogant layer of ego we all have, and judge no one, we may begin to feel the pain and the joy of someone else. We may choose to help instead of fortifying the barricades that we hide behind as we blame others for all our ills. We all need a little help from time to time–you’ve needed some help.
When asked about compassion, Mother Teresa said, “…I can only love one person at a time–just one, one, one. So you begin. I begin–I pick up one person. Maybe if I didn’t pick up that one person, I wouldn’t have picked up forty-two thousand… . The same thing in your church, your community. Just begin–one, one, one.”
The Dalai Lama brings it home in a real personal way when he says, “If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.”
Posted on Sunday, October 11th, 2009 | No Comments »
“Small Miracles of Daily Life”
Two days ago, Paulo Coelho sent me a note of “congratulations and success” on my new book. He happens to be an author I hold in high regard and who has inspired much of my writing.
I was overwhelmed–truly I was.
Coelho has authored numerous books, but the one that captured my heart was The Alchemist. It was given to me by a dear friend who felt it to be important for me to read. Now, I recommend it to all. It is a story of believing in yourself and following your dream.
Last December Coelho responded to an e-mail message I sent him. With his reply he sent me a copy of a story that he wrote that was published in many journals around the world. I was overwhlemed at his gift to me. His generous action and the simplicity, and power, of his story inspired me to write, Blessing the Poor. My holiday story may be found on my December 2008 blog. The book given to me by my friend years ago, and Coelho’s recent act, are testaments of why I believe the way I do; we must take time and value each moment of our life. But then, we need to do more–to inspire others to reach for what is good. Not only should we dream, and we should dream, but it is what we do with our experiences that counts.
In his message of two days ago, Coelho ended by telling me, “The Warrior of light concentrates on the small miracles of daily life.”
Truth is truth.
Posted on Saturday, April 18th, 2009 | 2 Comments »