Suffering: respond kindly, with gentleness and grace.

Be kind. Give a little. Let grace, gratitude and generosity win the day, or each battle as it comes.

A Maori whakataukī or proverb:
He aha te mea nui? He tangata. He tangata. He tangata.
What is the most important thing? It is people. It is people. It is people.

Typhoon Haiyan hit the Philippines a year ago. Remember?
NZ's South Island had two devastating earthquakes 3 1/2 years ago. Remember? What's no longer in headlines is still an unwelcome reality for the locals.

Tornados through Joplin, MO, and southern Indiana.... tsunamis that devastated the lives of people in parts of Thailand, India and the region... fires, floods, violence, accidents... a friend's dad died yesterday.... attended a baby's funeral last Friday.... someone's just gotten out of prison; someone else has just gone in... surgery is planned; "Further treatment won't help. I'm sorry."

Refugees wait, or try to resettle as foreigners. Foster kids wait, wondering why and what next? Identity confusion, addiction, insecurity, depression, abuse....

There is so much we cannot fix, but we can respond. We can be kind to each person we meet, not knowing the battles each faces. The common ground is our shared humanity.



- Posted using BlogPress

Comments