Tender Hearts

Do you ever have days where your heart feels so incredibly tender you almost can't bear it? I sure do. In fact I have a very, very tender heart today. Nothing is wrong. Nothing sad or bad has happened. In fact, quite the opposite. The kindness that I have received, given and witnessed today has brought me to my knees. I am crying for no real reason other than the sheer gratitude I feel for this life and the way we all hold each other up and show our love in a myriad of ways. This life can and will batter us about. Things can and will happen that make no sense and seem so unfair. I am always amazed by the power of the human spirit to keep going when the going feels not just rough but impossible. Many years ago I read in 'A Course in Miracles' that in the end the only real thing will be the love we have given and the love we have received. I am starting to really see how true this is. It is the kindness we extend that matters most. It's the minute by minute, day by day and week by week love, support, kindness and understanding that we offer to one another that makes life so sweet. After 25 years of hosting her talk show Oprah said this is what people 

really want...to be seen...to be heard...to know they matter.

“I’ve talked to nearly 30,000 people on this show, and all 30,000 had one thing in common: They all wanted validation. If I could reach through this television and sit on your sofa or sit on a stool in your kitchen right now, I would tell you that every single person you will ever meet shares that common desire. They want to know: ‘Do you see me? Do you hear me? Does what I say mean anything to you?’

“Understanding that one principle, that everybody wants to be heard, has allowed me to hold the microphone for you all these years with the least amount of judgment. Now I can’t say I wasn’t judging some days. Some days, I had to judge just a little bit. But it’s helped me to stand and to try to do that with an open mind and to do it with an open heart. It has worked for this platform, and I guarantee you it will work for yours. Try it with your children, your husband, your wife, your boss, your friends. Validate them. ‘I see you. I hear you. And what you say matters to me.’” — Oprah  May 25, 2011

I see you. I hear you. 

And what you say matters to me.

So simple yet so profound. The ways to be kind are really so easy. See people. Hear people. Make sure they know that what they say matters to you. Making them food helps too.

I am going to take my tender heart and make some comfort food for my loved ones, soak in a very hot bath, then put on my favorite pajamas and watch a feel good movie. How about you? How can you treat yourself and others with gentle kindness tonight?

I will leave you with this thought for today:

"My religion is simple.

                My religion is kindness."    Dalai Lama