Passing it On ~ Wings of Compassion

If you've been reading, you know that a new blogging award flew into circulation Thursday. The Wings of Compassion Award, created by me. Although I created this award with my niece Amanda, aka PhotoChick in mind, there are a few more people I want to pass this award on to. So today I'll start with Rocks in my Dryer. This woman has more Compassion than I've seen in a long time. I'd like to bestow this upon her. Go read what's she's been up to over this last week. It will tear your heart out and change the way you look at life. It will make you so ever grateful for your children and your own life. We are a blessed nation ... and unfortunately there are times we forget that.

First of all, I've been reading Rocks in my dryer for quite a while, and I got a chance to catch up on Mrs. Rocks the other day. She's been on a Compassion mission trip to Uganda, and let me tell you ... that woman is amazing. What else is amazing, is how for the most part, we don't know a thing about the people behind the blogs we read, other than what we read. We come to know their hearts by what they write. This woman, Shannon, at Rocks in my dryer, has a heart. A huge heart with lots of compassion. She opened my eyes about how rich we are as a nation, and mainly how rich we are, in the aspect of health and life in general. We take so much for granted, and what we throw away would make a "world" of difference to other people that we never think about. I wish I knew of a way to give more to the people that she visited. More than prayers and more than thoughts ... they need more. Mrs. Rocks at Rocks in my Dryer has made a profound effect on me. BooMama is right there along with her, so you might want to check out her blog as well. These two ladies rock!

As a nurse, I worked Infectious Disease for a long time. The good majority of our patients were people with HIV/AIDS. But I never saw the effects of HIV/AIDS on children, or in such quantity. I never saw the effects of poverty. The people here in middle average USA live just like we do, and you don't know them from anyone else on the street. I know that in Uganda, a large portion of the Mother's have AIDS as well, and I can't imagine what these children's Mothers are going through watching their sick babies die.

The fear is surreal. Just because these people don't speak our language doesn't mean that they don't have the same feelings, the same intelligence or the same heart strings that we have. I personally know that fear. Several years ago, I was stuck with a contaminated needle used on a AIDS patient. The fear that washes over you is unbelievable. I was pregnant, and due to the prophylactic drugs I had to take ... I was very sick. I lost my baby, but everything turned out well for me, I am HIV NEGATIVE, but for these kids in Uganda it is a life sentence, and for most, a death sentence.

So, to Mrs. Rocks (Shannon), I greatly admire you for your compassion and for your Integrity, Spirit and Faith. For your Hope, Kindness and Good ... today you are my hero. I hope many people are drawn to your blog and read about your journey. I hope we all can find a way to show the Compassion that you have, and find a way to make a difference in the lives of the people, and mainly, the kids in Uganda and other countries that need our help.

Compassion is something that we all need within us. So today, being Sunday, would it be too much to ask of EVERYONE that reads here ... to just take this symbol of Compassion and pass it on. If you have a blog, you can post this on your sidebar. Or, if you know someone with a blog that has touched your heart ... just pass it on.

Be Blessed Everyone!

Tanya

Wings of Compassion

After sitting here for a few days buried in Ice and Snow, sometimes without electricity and without the Internet .... I doodled. Then I thought. Then I put some thought into my doodle ... and I made a new blogger award. I made this award with one particular person in mind.

Many years ago, long before I started blogging, I met this young girl. She was pretty carefree, with a kind heart and a very sweet nature. She was also just a teenager, and like most teenagers, pretty much into herself. Just like most of us were when we were teenagers. She was just an ordinary kid. Well, maybe she wasn't ordinary, because she was a child of God. She was a Christian and a good kid. Her smile radiated her whole being, and she lit up and let her presence be known. This was a good thing.

She graduated from high school and college and still didn't know what she wanted to do with her life. Sometimes she was a little too "good-hearted" and would do unto strangers more than she should have at times. She took the motto, "give more than you take" to heart and gave lots more than she ever took. She was always there to lend a hand and help, and sometimes she got her heart trampled on. But she always bounced up with a smile on her face.

I've watched her grow over the last few years, and especially in this last year. She married. She became a Mother, and she became "A Heart at Work!" Her heart is truly full these days.

This once girl, has blossomed into a beautiful woman. She is all the words I put onto this award. She is integrity, spirit, faith, hope, kindness and good ... and I love her. I love her because she is family, but mainly I love her because of who she is and what she is doing with her life. She is a tremendous Mother to her child and she is anchoring her marriage tightly. She is now sure of herself and she is beautiful .... inside and out. She is flying high with her "Wings of Compassion" .... and I can say, what I see the most in her .... is happiness.

I'm first giving this award to my niece Amanda. Now she has a blog, and you can visit her here. You can see her smile and read what she writes. I love you Amanda! It's up to you now to pass this on to three bloggers that also fly high with compassion! Send it out into the blogging world and link it back to both you and me.

I'll be passing this on to a few more people, but I wanted Amanda to receive it first. And to anyone else out there, please feel free to take this and spread the Compassion!

Compassion is the ultimate and most meaningful embodiment of emotional maturity. It is through compassion that a person achieves the highest peak and deepest reach in his or her search for self-fulfillment. --Arthur Jersild

Be Blessed Everyone!