International Day of Compassion

Margie: Edna, I want to share this definition of compassion with you and our friends.

Compassion is a feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another who is stricken by misfortune, accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate the suffering.

I thought about what compassion means to me and it means that I not only feel the pain of people I love but I would gladly suffer that pain for them.

It means getting a dog or cat from a shelter and giving them a good home.

It also means treating an elder like I was treated at Wal-Mart last night. A sweet young man ran around the store getting items for me because I got plumb tuckered out.

Plus, Edna, compassion is what I gave that young man by hugging him & kissing his cheek. I knew he wanted me to do that.

What does compassion mean to you, sister?

Edna:  Margie, with the world the way it is today, I think that little acts of compassion can go a very long way.  Compassion doesn't have to be a large-scale gesture to be effective.  It can be a smile from a stranger, a simple kindness, a helping hand where one wasn't expected, or someone who sees you're in pain and they offer to help.  Compassion is something that takes you outside of yourself and into the heart of someone else.  There's too little of it in the world today, but you can surely find it if you look hard enough.

Margie: I didn't know she had that in her.


On May 15, 2011 Bloggers and other social media participants will blog about the importance of Compassion.