THOUGHTFULNESS — Monday Motivational Meditation #392 — 2019-02-11

The kinder and more thoughtful a person is,
the more kindness they can find in other people.

Leo Tolstoy

On September 9, 1828, Leo Tolstoy was born in Tula Province, Russia.
In the 1860s, he wrote his first great novel, War and Peace.
In 1873, Tolstoy set to work on the second of his best known novels, Anna Karenina.

THOUGHTFULNESS

There’s nothing like an early morning walk in newly fallen snow to inspire thoughtful reflection. Allowing nature around me to awaken a concern for others requires lots of openness. I believe that life is ordered toward care and harmony. I want to live out of this belief.

When I attend to those in need of my care, there are many things that good outcomes depend upon. That’s how I’ve been trained, and that’s what is necessary for me to foster healing. But, there is also a spirit that goes beyond the technical and is required for healing. I want to be a provider who pays attention to the little things. I want to listen for my patient’s worries, note her birthday, or remember the names of the children they are raising. Being alert to the things that are special to others is the first step to thoughtfulness.

I don’t have to overthink situations to be lead to simple acts that can make a difference to someone who requires more than physical healing. Little signs of encouragement and a sense that my family, my friends, and those I care for are loved, requires living a thoughtful life.

Eternal Thoughtfulness, awaken in me messages of care that go beyond the technical and the abstract. Aware that nature will lead me to kindness and tolerance, let me be inspired by the beauty around me even in the midst of winter. Give me the confidence to serve with thoughtfulness. AMEN.

ACTION: Consider the most thoughtful person you know. Are you like them? How could you be more like them? What steps can you take this week?

Janet Antonacci is native to Westchester, New York, where as a child her morning rides to school included views of the river she now calls her artistic muse. She made her career in advertising, and wrote and shot commercials all over the world. In a sense, leaving her job to raise two sons only marked the rebirth of her creative endeavors. She has continued to write-her work has been published by The New York Times and others-and study her original craft over the years. She presently resides in Ossining, a stone’s throw from the Hudson. It’s the river and the towns that surround it, the bleeding sunsets and the faces of the fisherman who cast into them, that speak most clearly to Janet as she continues to find new ways to do what she’s done all her life: uncover meaning and create art.

See more of her work: @janriverworksphotography at Instagram.

Thanks, Janet, for sharing your beautiful photos in this series we are calling “Thoughtfulness.”

Nursing Heart Friends,

It was an incredible January for Nursing Heart, Inc. We had over forty folks who came to help us offer care. The month ended with a building project with friends from Seattle Cancer Care, Fremont Eye Clinic in Nebraska, and Johns Hopkins Hospital.

Our Board is embracing the transition we are currently bringing about. Change is never easy, and yet, the Nursing Heart Board has not shied away from its complexities. The reality is that Nursing Heart is in great shape and ready to take on this big leap believing that together, we can sore into the future.

For myself, as I prepare to turn over the day to day management of our outreach to Jade, I am filled with a sense of gratitude for all who have helped bring Nursing Heart to this point. I believe we can keep this good thing going and many people will be served here in Guatemala, while forming the next generation of International caregivers.

This week we are recouping and rebooting to go into three weeks of successive groups from Florida Atlantic University under the direction of Dr. Rhonda Goodman. They will touch many people’s lives as their own are touched by the people of Guatemala.

This week is Valentine’s Day, and we wish you a life full of LOVE! Will you help us bring the care of a Nursing Heart to many people in Guatemala? Please become a monthly donor. Ten dollars can help us a lot! Click HERE to donate. Then enjoy this one-minute video from the week with FRIENDS OF NURSING HEART!

Peace,

“Thoughtfulness is the consideration of others.”

Bob Byrne
Member of Nursing Heart
Portland, Oregon