1.29.2009

Kindness

"How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant of the weak and strong. Because someday in life you will have been all of these." ~George Washington Carver

These past few days have been full of ups and downs. Hearing news of yet more friends losing job, of serious illness, and generally concern over what's going on in life has reminded me of the importance of awareness, and more than that, of kindness. There are so many that are fighting battles that we don't know about and need some tenderness and compassion from those who interact with them.

To me, it means that my awareness needs to be heightened, that my kindness, compassion and sympathy need to be part of my everyday persona. That everyone needs to be treated with love and concern so that even if I don't know someone's specific needs, they will still have been treated with care.

And it's not about how far I go in life right now [despite what the above quote says], for me it's about making sure others are treated with love and helping to lift their burdens.

**picture by David Bowman

15 comments:

Suzanne said...

Beautiful thoughts. To me it's about giving every person the dignity and kindness they deserve.

Nat Lud said...

It is so very true. Definitely something I hope to improve on this year!

Becky said...

You have a beautiful, thoughtful blog here. I found it googling "enjoy the ride". I just wanted to thank you for your insights.

Jill said...

I love that picture--do you know if they sell it at Deseret Book?

Ashley said...

Your last paragraph reminds me of what President Monson said in the last CES broadcast: We need to help others in their race in life; it's not about the positions we hold, but who we help.

Thanks for the post!

Mia said...

I always appreciate your thoughts and how they open my eyes to my own actions and to the people around me.

Unknown said...

love that picture! and the quote and thoughts, too, of course! :)

Natalie Scott said...

Amen!

hoLLy said...

definitely! and i just love that bowman picture-LOVE IT! i need it in my home.

tiburon said...

Spot on. Love it :)

Great picture too!

jenlinmin said...

I just don't know how you do it! How do you find all of these amazing quotes? This one is absolutely my favorite! Thanks for the uplift of the day, Jan!

Courtney said...

I read something somewhere (my memory is fantastic, isn't it?) that siad something tot he extent that we are all walking around with giant cracks in us. Your post reminded me of that, and how true it is that just because we can't see the cracks doesn't mean we don't need to treat each other gently. Thanks for the reminder.

Phogles said...

a good reminder and a great thought. Made me think of the line from the hymn: "who am I to judge another when I walk imperfectly? In the quiet heart is hidden sorrow that the eye can't see." Thank you for cause for pause...I know where to come when I need uplifting thoughtfulness.

jenjamin said...

That is so true. Love that quote and your thoughts about it. I feel the same way! What goes around comes around and it gives us good practical purposes for practicing the lessons we hopefully learned when on the flip side. Thanks for sharing.

Hacking it up said...

true dat!

I LOVE that picture of Christ!!! As usual, you always have wise advise--thanks! Love you!