I Am Grateful For Compassion

Everyone can agree that the past few months have been very difficult for us as a nation. From fires, to hurricanes to flooding and earthquakes, and finally a mass shooting - our nation has been rocked by so much that it is hard to breathe at times.

But what makes our nation, and each of us great is that we do pull together and help each other when those disasters occur. There were hundreds of trucks and boats that went to Houston to help rescue people stranded in their homes. There was a hugh outpouring of support and supplies for each of the hurricanes that hit the south recently. And in the most recent tragedy in Las Vegas, there were so many stories of people who stopped to help others as they were fleeing, at the risk of their own lives. Hundreds lined up to give blood when the call went out. Compassion won the day. Compassion is something we know how to do, when we look around and see the needs around us.

In one day the Go Fund Me page for Las Vegas victims raised over $4,500,000 dollars. and is now up to almost 9 million dollars. That shows how much we do care for others hurts and sorrows. It is a reminder that we are a nation that has great compassion.

We can come together and build each other up instead of tearing each other down. Sadly, it often takes a tragedy to remind us of how much we have in common and that there is no race, religion or personal agenda when we want to help our fellow man.

I hope we can remember compassion in the days and months ahead. Try having compassion on that woman with screaming kids in the store. Instead of giving them a stern look, give them compassion and a smile to remind them that they are not alone and you have been there too. Try having compassion when someone is walking too slow in front of you and remember that they have probably lived a long life and don't move as fast as they used to. Try having compassion when someone is tailgating you. Get out of their way and just move on without trying to make a point. It never does end well. But compassion always ends well.

I hope we can hold on to this feeling of compassion as we move into the holidays with all it's stress. Just try to remember what we are celebrating when we give thanks in November and praise for a newborn baby coming into our world in December. We may not all agree on many things, but we can CHOOSE compassion everyday.