Posts Tagged: kindness

Nothing More — The Alternate Routes

November 29th, 2013
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After a day spent counting our blessings and giving thanks, today we are full of gratitude right?
To keep that warm and fuzzy and wonderful feeling of kindness going, here is a song introduced to me by Hannah Donnelly (a Jesuit Volunteer Corps alumni & my son’s girlfriend) that I know I will be singing or humming to myself today or whenever I feel my patience starting to wear.  It is a beautiful song, offering hope and I think it fosters the spirit of giving.
The song, “Nothing More” was written specifically for Newtown Kindness (www.newtownkindness.org) and is … Read More

Kindness In a Me, Me, Me Culture

October 21st, 2013
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No matter what our age or place in life, we always remember the people who are kind. For instance, during the homily of a friend’s funeral, I found myself sitting by myself because I had a arrived a little late and my friends were in another part of the church.  As I listened to the beautiful words of the priest’s eulogy, I put my head down as tears began to roll down my face.  I will never forget the simple gesture of the woman sitting next to me who gently put her hand on top of mine for a few… Read More

Chocolate or Kindness?

February 15th, 2013
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  Finding the Balance of Chocolate and Kindness Don’t let the collar turn you off. Fr. James Martin is a charismatic Jesuit priest who has a Lenten message that can be appreciated by followers of Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Folk Religions and even atheists. It’s a simple message but one that is challenging for people (myself included) to practice.  And it doesn’t have to be Lent to make it happen.  We can practice his message any time of the year. Lent is traditionally a time when Catholics give up something.  But suppose instead of giving up chocolate (that would… Read More

Wishing You Serene Thoughts. . .

January 22nd, 2013
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Look Well To This Day Look well to this day, For it and it alone is life. In its brief course Lie all the essence of your existence: The Glory of Growth The Satisfaction of Achievement The Splendor of Beauty For yesterday is but a dream, And tomorrow is but a vision. But today well lived makes every yesterday a dream of happiness, And every tomorrow a vision of hope.… Read More

Have A Little Happiness

January 3rd, 2013
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At this time of year, it is easy to find self-help advice almost everywhere we look: online, television, magazines, books. It’s the beginning of a new year and it’s traditionally a time to take stock of what we’ve done in the year gone by and think about what we want to improve about ourselves in the new year.   As we put up new calendars and turn a fresh page, we evaluate how we would like to go forward and perhaps we even have a new plan of action. Most people are hopeful that the bad habits that they practiced in… Read More

From A Child’s Heart

November 14th, 2012
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I was browsing through two of my Letitia Baldrige books on manners while writing and posting last week about her recent death and came upon a very touching chapter she wrote on how a child learns to communicate a kind thought. I was immediately drawn into the chapter because in today’s world, it is a bit unusual to come across a child of any age who says “please” and “thank you” all on their own. In Baldrige’s book, “More Than Manners! Raising Today’s Kids to Have Kind Manners & Good Hearts,” she discusses the need to teach young boys and… Read More

Post Election Proverb

November 7th, 2012
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Now that Election Day is officially over, I found the above (courtesy of The Silver Pen www.thesilverpen.com ) to be a timely and thought provoking proverb to post and to practice.  … Read More

Car Man To The Rescue

October 10th, 2012
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Checking Your Air Pressure I am going to get right to the point today:  Thank you, Thank you, Thank you to the man at the BP gas station last night who helped me with the air pressure in my tires. I was driving home from work last night and suddenly a menancing light came on in the dashboard.  This is what the symbol looked like: Don’t you hate it when that happens?  Plus, I was really in a panic because I didn’t know what the symbol meant when it appeared on my car’s dashboard.  Was it something big?  Something small? … Read More

A Dose of Kindness

October 5th, 2012
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Visiting people who are sick is one of the kindest acts we can ever practice.  Sitting and talking, holding their hand and listening seem so simple to the healthy but those things are so essential in helping the ill know that they matter, that they are not forgotten even though they are no longer able to independently move around. Bringing about a smile or laughter through a funny story is just as important as any medicine prescribed by a doctor.  Laughter, in particular, is a powerful distraction from pain and illness. One of my sisters and her husband are compassionately… Read More