Joy went up to her teacher and quietly asked, "can she talk?" looking over at the girl who hasn't spoken a word to anyone since the first day of their preschool class.
"Yes she can, but she's very very shy", teacher explained.
"ok", she answered and trotted away.
As the teacher watched in curiosity, Joy went over to the girl in the corner and invited her to play puzzles with her.
She brought different toys one after another to the table and explained how they can play with the toys.
And she asked the girl, "do you know how to play this one?" the girl came closer and whispered in Joy's ear, "yes".
Joy turned to her with a big smile on her face and exclaimed, "See? You can talk!!!"
The girl smiled back and they together burst into laughter.
What is the heart of compassion?
It has to start with an genuine interest in someone and desire to reach out to him/her because of that interest and not out of obligation.
It's not placing myself in a upper position but simply being a friend to that person.
It motivates us to strengthen and assist that person in discovering his/her potentials and encourage the person to see that she is moving forward.
And it is to be genuinely happy about their progress and celebrate together for their big and small accomplishments.
she must have learned it from her parents! just had back to school night and when i met the parents... i realized how each child had so many qualities that their parents had!
ReplyDeleteand being a friend to someone takes huge effort and intentionality. seriously, you are right, it starts with a heart of compassion!