An Art Work I Truly Appreciate and Will Remember

In recent past weeks, with the exception of last week, I have been volunteering two hours every Saturday at a Sub-Acute Skilled Nursing Facility. There I visit patients that are chronically ill. Some of them are in real unfortunate positions in their lives where it's hard to see life improving for them. What I and other Tzu Chi volunteers do is to go there and to try to put a smile on their faces with our presence and compassion for them. It's really nothing miraculous or life-changing, but to be able to make them feel loved and cared for, for even a fraction of their day, counts and makes a difference. I wish I could heal them or be a conduit of some type to help heal them - I'm recalling an individual known as John of God who I've heard and read is doing wonderful healing work in Brazil. And from visiting these patients, I have learned and grown in ways that you cannot truly develop without witnessing the difficult situations some of these people are in. I've thought even more about my life, in terms of making sure how I want to live it, is how I want to live it. I don't mean to sound preachy, but helping others in need and making a positive difference in someone's life is such a cornerstone to living a meaningful life. 

The reason I'm writing this is because I want to post a picture of one of the mementos that a patient at the skilled nursing facility gave me. It represents and serves as a reminder of having compassion for others, for living a life with meaning, making a difference, and giving to others. I will not and cannot state the patient's name, but his art work has been touching, inspiring, and will always serve as a reminder to me to do my best to love others unconditionally. I know I will be looking back on his picture that he made for me and my family in the future, and in that moment, I will understand that this has been one of the many things in my life that has driven me towards my life's mission, to make a positive, memorable difference in the lives of others.

Remember, No Man Is An Island.