I have learned so much about compassion and unconditional love from watching my mother, Penny. I have seen her care for countless family members as they have finished their earthly time. I have witnessed her forgive those who have deeply wronged her. I have observed her see the best in me even when I could not. How can I be more like Penny?
Perhaps, the answer can be found in unconditional love. The late spiritual teacher Ram Dass once said, “Unconditional love really exists in each of us. It is part of our deep inner being.” For as long as I can remember, I have felt a calling to serve. Though I am not perfect, I try to have compassion for all, including those who may cause me suffering. Some days, I fall short. Some days, I excel. My mother’s example always encourages me to do better. Ram Dass’s teachings, which have settled deeply in my Buddhist bones, urge me to love without limitations.
Wonder if we could all tap into the unconditional love that lives in our “deep inner being?” Wonder if we could treat each person, even when we vehemently disagree with them, with kindness and compassion? What if we could radically forgive? I often think about what our world could be if we placed loving-kindness above egos and agendas.
I challenge you, dear reader, to stretch yourself when it comes to kindness and compassion. See if you can exercise both, even when it is difficult, and notice how you feel afterward. In a world heavy with violence, judgment, condemnation, and division, may you and I be beacons of loving-kindness and cultivators of unconditional love. May we be a Penny to someone in need of care or forgiveness.