Daily Word (5.17.09)

Caregiver:

"Thank God for caregivers who touch the hearts and lives of others in special ways." (DW, 5.17.09)

"We were gentle among you, like a nurse tenderly caring for her own children." (1 Thess. 2.7)

Mei Meditatio:

In one way or another we're all caregivers. Just like the manner in which we speak, each of us uses a unique language of caring. Some care for others through speaking words of love, some through deliberate and visible actions of kindness, some through spending time with those we cherish, and others through subtle gestures that may go unnoticed. Caring for others begins by taking care of ourselves in mind, spirit, and body. How can we possibly attend to the needs of others if our basic needs are not addressed?

I care for myself physically by maintaining healthy life-style, emotionally by dealing with my feelings as they come up without suppression, intellectually by study and mental stimulation, and spiritually through persistent and consistent prayer and contemplation. I care for others physically by participating in activities that promote feeding those who are hungry, curing those who are sick, and helping friends, family and strangers who ask for my physical help; emotionally by lovingly listening and compassionately sharing in the feelings of friends, family and strangers when they need my ear; intellectually by teaching, learning, and dialoging with others concerning religious, cultural, social, and political matters; and spiritually by praying with people when they ask me, worshipping in a community of faith, and supporting others on their spiritual journey, however that may be.

In the name and through the power of Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior. Amen.