We are all looking for THAT, right?

Give me the 7 ways to find love forever.         .         .

Tell me the 12 ways to free my heart.         .         .

Show me 3 simple ways how to Face my fears and fear no more.         .         .

Knowing how to____________________________forever in 2 easy steps.      .      .

Aren’t we all looking for

T            H            A            T

one simple thing

T            H            A            T

will guarantee to make our lives more loving,

more caring,

more kind,

compassionate,

free,

E A S I E R

R I C H E R

F U L F I L L E D

Pssssssssssssst:

You don’t have to look for what’s

more a part of you than your next breath.        .         .

your    very   heartbeat;

We   all   have   C  O  M  P  A  S  S  I  O  N.          .          .

.       .       .more   accurate.        .        .

none   of   us   let   our   Compassion   SHOW   ENOUGH.          .          .

It’s   almost   as  if,

to SHOW,

to SHARE,

to GIVE

our Compassion would weaken us,

would expose us,

would make us utterly more vulnerable than we could possibly be

if we stood up in front of a large group of people,

took our clothes off

and talked about the joys and the benefits of

Total    Nude     Public     Speaking.       .       .

C O M P A S S I O N:   S U F F E R I N G    W I T H    O T H E R S

.        .        .and it’s always the

 “W              I              T              H”

 that’s most important and always the most significant;

You   want   Simplicity?

LIGHTEN   A   LOAD.       .       .

shovel some snow,

give up your umbrella,

hold the door open,

anonymously send a gift or a gas card.       .       .

HUG        INSTEAD        OF        JUDGE.          .          .

Dare to believe that the JERK

who treats you so badly is having the worst possible day in their life;

that the Buttons they’re jamming in you

have literally been obliterated and smashed inside of themselves.        .        .

M      I      R      R      O      R:

 D A R E    T O    S E E    Y O U R S E L F    I N    T H E M.       .       .

I remember in 1980 shortly after being ordained and serving a small church in

Beech Bottom

I quickly found out

that behind

EVERY    DOOR    THERE’S    A    PAIN    SO    DEEP

it’s literally
unspeakable.     .     .

H  A  V  E       Y  O  U  R       H  E  A  R  T       B  R  E  A  K.    .     .

In that same small town at Christmas,

I remember helping people get a load of coal to heat their house

when they were doing it by opening up the oven door and turning it on to

B          R          O          I          L

T  H  A  T    coal  even  needed  to  be  delivered

to heat their house was enough.     .     .

seeing the faces of that embarrassed father and mother.     .     .

seeing  those  kids

when they got to open up the only presents

they were going to get that Christmas

three days early when we brought the coal

s       t       i       l       l,

it still.          .          .

shatters my heart all over again.          .          .

RESPOND   DON’T   REACT.       .       .

dare to see the

 O  T  H  E  R      S  I  D  E,

to walk in those uncomfortable shoes

a  path  that  doesn’t  so  much  exist  in  your  experience.       .       .

I share it often in blog posts

and more often in just about every talk I give.       .       .

a simple quote from George Washington Carver:

HOW    FAR    YOU    GO.       .       .

DEPENDS   ON   BEING   GENTLE   TO   THE   YOUNG,
COMPASSIONATE   TO   THE   ELDERLY,
SYMPATHETIC   TO   THE   STRIVING,
AND   TOLERANT   TO   THE   WEAK   AND   THE   STRONG,
BECAUSE   ONE   DAY.        .        .
ONE   DAY,
YOU    WILL    HAVE    BEEN    EACH    OF    THESE!

Get  naked

Throw   off   the   coverings   of   your   Compassion

Let   it   be   seen

Let   it   be   known

Let   it   be   EXPERIENCED

O F T E N

and  then

o f t e n     a g a i n

and  again.       .       .       .

L          O          O          K :

It’s   Compassion    Reason    Season

(because  it  never  i s n ‘ t)