“Before you know kindness as the deepest thing inside, you must know sorrow as the other deepest thing.” – Naomi Shihab Nye



Kindness
Before you know what kindness really is you must lose things, feel the future dissolve in a moment like salt in a weakened broth. What you held in your hand, what you counted and carefully saved, all this must go so you know how desolate the landscape can be between the regions of kindness. How you ride and ride thinking the bus will never stop, the passengers eating maize and chicken will stare out the window forever. Before you learn the tender gravity of kindness you must travel where the Indian in a white poncho lies dead by the side of the road. You must see how this could be you, how he too was someone who journeyed through the night with plans and the simple breath that kept him alive. Before you know kindness as the deepest thing inside, you must know sorrow as the other deepest thing. You must wake up with sorrow. You must speak to it till your voice catches the thread of all sorrows and you see the size of the cloth. Then it is only kindness that makes sense anymore, only kindness that ties your shoes and sends you out into the day to gaze at bread, only kindness that raises its head from the crowd of the world to say It is I you have been looking for, and then goes with you everywhere like a shadow or a friend.
Good words amy friend
Means so much from you…who I think is the absolute best with words. Thank you friend!
Amy that is an awesome story!
Thank you Susan! He was a great story teller.
Amy,
Thank you for sharing this moving story of George and his heritage. It is a story to remember.
Thank you for commenting Martha. I was worried I would not do it justice.
Amy, you reach out and touch lives through your art and your words…you are truly a blessing and a gift to all who know you.
Thank you for your sweet compliment. Not everyone is happy to engage in conversation so I really relish the ones that do! And the best are the ones that feel divinely appointed. Like when I met you! 😉
Amy your talent with both images and words is a blessing to each person who takes them in. As you know, my blog is all about sharing life stories. You have taken this theme to a higher level. Somehow I haven’t been seeing these wonderful stories even though I thought I followed your every move. I’ll be waiting to read the next as I go back and read the previous. Beautiful story.
That is such a kind thing to say. Thank you Lisa! When my children and I pray, I ask that we learn to use the gifts God gave us to bring him glory and edify others. It really is what I believe…that every single one of us has gifts. I appreciate the ones I see in you too!