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Posts tagged ‘kindness’

Nov 19

Inner Pause, Trail of Light

“Leave a trail of light behind you
Everywhere you go.
Whose darkness you’ll illuminate
You may never know.”― L.R. Knost

“Here’s to the bridge-builders, the hand-holders, the light-bringers, those extraordinary souls wrapped in ordinary lives who quietly weave threads of humanity into an inhumane world. They are the unsung heroes in a world at war with itself. They are the whisperers of hope that peace is possible. Look for them in this present darkness. Light your candle with their flame. And then go. Build bridges. Hold hands. Bring light to a dark and desperate world. Be the hero you are looking for. Peace is possible. It begins with us.” – L.R. Knost

Freely
In abundance
Without reserve, measure, comparison
Be kind
Door opener
Gentle breeze
Dancer of hope
Bridges not walls
Hand holding and hugs
Make this day a better place and space
Offer peace, enthusiasm, delight
Leave a trail of joy
Cast light

“Patience is an inner pause, a brief stillness, a moment we give ourselves to breathe through our initial reaction so we can move to the place where a calm, thoughtful response is born. Patience is a gift of time we give ourselves so we can give the gift of peace to others.”― L.R. Knost

Nov 15

Poetry of Presence

“Poetry calls us to pause. There is so much we overlook, while the abundance around us continues to shimmer, on its own.”― Naomi Shihab Nye

“only kindness that raises its head
from the crowd of the world to say
it is I you have been looking for,
and then goes with you everywhere
like a shadow or a friend.”
― Naomi Shihab Nye

From doing to being
Swift to slow
Pausing to notice, partake
Kindness of gratitude, awe, wonder
Shimmer of this day
Poetry of presence
Interrupted by beauty

“Every day is a poetry day.”― Naomi Shihab Nye

Oct 25

Create, Bloom, Shine

“My soul drank enough to know how thirsty it was.”― Marie Howe

“Some people create. Some people critique.”― Liz Newman

Be the one that creates…
Builds
Reaches
Encourages
Connects
Asks
Listens
Blooms
Invites
Laughs
Delights
Colors
Dances
Shines
Cast light

“After all, it is in loving that we find our bliss and accomplish the greatest service toward others.”― Joan Borysenko, Pocketful of Miracles

Oct 20

Smile Power

“Peace begins with a smile.” – Mother Teresa

“We often wait for kindness…but being kind to yourself can start now.”― Charlie Mackesy, The Boy, the Mole, the

Kindness…
A smile
Laughter
Asking
Listening
Encouragement
Flowers on the table, no occasion required
Gratitude
Praise
Enthusiasm
Fun
Warm embrace
Simple acts
Daily practice
Small investments
Big returns
Compound interest
Cast light with an extra helping of kindness today
Start with a smile, repeat.

“What do you want to be when you grow up?”

“Kind,” said the boy.”― Charlie Mackesy, The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse

Oct 18

2 Comments

Put Civil Back in Civilization

“What do you think success is?” asked the boy.
“To love,” said the mole.”
― Charlie Mackesy, The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse

Ations by Shel Silverstein

“If we meet and I say, “Hi,”
That’s a salutation.
If you ask me how I feel,
That’s a consideration.
If we stop and talk a while,
That’s a conversation.
If we understand each other,
That’s a communication.
If we argue, scream and fight,
That’s an altercation.
If later we apoligize,
That’s reconciliation.
If we help each other home,
That’s a cooperation.
And all these actions added up
Make Civilization.
(And if I say this is a wonderful poem,
Is that exaggeration?)”

A smile
An extended hand
A warm embrace
Inquiry followed by listening
Put the “civil” back in civilization
Followed by kindness and connection
In proximity, we gain understanding
Be the bright spot in someone’s day today
Cast light

“When you talk, you are only repeating what you already know. But if you listen, you may learn something new.”— Dalai Lama

Oct 14

Receiving of Giving

“FINDING FAITH IN A FLOWER
Sometimes when faith is running low
And I cannot fathom why things are so,
I walk among the flowers that grow
And learn the answers to all I would know.
For among my flowers I have come to see
Life’s miracle and its mystery,
And standing in silence and reverie,
My faith comes flooding back to me.”
― Helen Steiner Rice, A Collection of Encouragement

“Time is not measured
by the years that you live
But by the deeds that you do
and the joy that you give-
And each day as it comes
brings a chance to each one
To love to the fullest,
leaving nothing undone
That would brighten the life
or lighten the load
Of some weary traveler
lost on Life’s Road-
So what does it matter
how long we may live
If as long as we live
we unselfishly give.”
― Helen Steiner Rice

Kindness
Connection
Ease
Laughter
Beauty
Delight
Joy
Wonder
Awe
Gratitude
Grace
In a word, love
May you receive all today
Give it away freely too
Cast light.

“The beauty and mystery of this world only emerges through affection, attention, interest and compassion . . . open your eyes wide and actually see this world by attending to its colors, details and irony.”― Orhan Pamuk, My Name Is Red

Oct 2

On the Bridge

“You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.”― Jane Goodall

“Oh, the world needs those standing on the Bridge, For they know how Eternity reaches to earth In the wind that brings music to the leaves Of the forest: in the drops of rain that caress The sleeping life of the desert: in the sunbeams Of the first spring day in an alpine meadow. Only they can blow the dust from the seeing eyes Of those who are blind.”― Jane Goodall, Reason for Hope: A Spiritual Journey

Stand on the Bridge
Hem of Heaven
Holding beauty, awe, reverence, wonder
Daily decisions to engage, bother, contribute, care, participate, listen, be alive
Actions more than words but they both count, add up or diminish
Be kind, offer a smile, a warm embrace, enthusiasm, delight, empathy, connection
Gift of life
Open daily.

“We have the choice to use the gift of our life to make the world a better place–or not to bother”― Jane Goodall

Sep 29

“No Mud. No Lotus”-Buddha

“Practice several minutes of centering prayer. Remember that meditation is a not-doing. It is just letting go of small mind and merging with the stream of Divine Mind.”― Joan Borysenko, Pocketful of Miracles

“To learn to see- to accustom the eye to calmness, to patience, and to allow things to come up to it; to defer judgment, and to acquire the habit of approaching and grasping an individual case from all sides. This is the first preparatory schooling of intellectuality. One must not respond immediately to a stimulus; one must acquire a command of the obstructing and isolating instincts.”― Friedrich Nietzsche, Twilight of the Idols

Stimulus and response
Creating space between, a gap, a pause
To contribute something meaningful rather than adding to the noise
Peace, grace, awe in this space
Cast light, kindness, joy
Narrow path, worth the trip.

“As the lotus rises on its stalk unsoiled by the mud and water, so the wise one speaks of peace and is unstained by the opinions of the world.” – Buddha

Sep 26

Quiet Abiding Presence

“If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.” – Mother Teresa

Presence
by Gabby Jimenez

“Presence doesn’t make a grand entrance.
It doesn’t need the spotlight.
It doesn’t always come with answers or certainty.

But presence stays.
It listens.
It breathes alongside you in the silence.
It says, “I don’t know what to say, but I’m not going anywhere.”

The truth is, we don’t remember every word someone said when we were struggling,
but we always remember who was there.
Who sat beside us.
Who made space for our feelings.
Who didn’t try to fix us or rush us through it.

That is the gift of presence.
It is not loud, but it echoes.
It is not everything, but it means everything.

True presence has boundaries.
It’s rooted. Steady. Clear.
It says, “I’m here with you, not instead of you.”

You can hold space without losing yourself in someone else’s storm.
You can show up without having all the answers.
You can offer compassion without taking it all on.
Real presence honors both people in the moment: the one who’s struggling, and the one who’s showing up.”

May we be present to others.
In small, ordinary daily ways.
Show up.
Not to fix, frame, platitude, solve, give advice.
To walk along side.
Often in silence.
Abiding and accompaniment.
Remembering that we belong to each other.
Though the world and my ego would disagree.
Love well today.

“For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple and wrong.”― H. L. Mencken

Sep 25

Dancing Light

“When the heart is open, good humor flows and the ego’s rigidity melts like snow in the sun.”― Joan Borysenko, Pocketful of Miracles

“May my words be truthful, encouraging and humble. May my words be kind and filled with care.”― Joan Borysenko, Pocketful of Miracles

Observer, glance to gaze
Third person to self, others too
Not to judge
Rather to offer kindness, a warm embrace
Assume there’s more to the story, beneath the surface
Choose goodness and light
Delight, encouragement, joy
Open heart and a lot more dancing.

“A person who is not afraid of looking like a fool gets to do a lot more dancing.”― Margaret Renkl

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