Compassion is a word we hear often. We need to be more compassionate people say. We live in a time when wars start at any moment, sometimes triggered by money, others by hatred. But the more we can serve as God’s instruments the better people are going to be. There are many ways we can bring comfort to people who really need it.
When I was at school, I didn’t really think much about the power of compassion. We did, however, have one project that involved kindness. We were to find an elderly person and visit with him or her for 3 months. It looked feasible, so I joined in. I chose to visit a senior citizen home and visit some people there.
To be honest, it was more of just an assignment for me. That was until I got to meet all the nice people there. I can tell you that I learned many things there, but what I treasure the most are the simple things like keeping someone company, an enjoyable conversation and the meaning of compassion. For some of the residents, life was lonely. They didn’t have any family that would go see them.
Some of them had even outlived their family members. They were nice people, good people. People who had a lot of knowledge to share. I remember hearing stories from the World War II, from the great depression and from the beginning of last century. They would tell me the stories as if they were happening at that very moment. I heard stories of love, of courage and family.
The assignment was over but there was something in me that couldn’t just walk away from the friends I have made there. So, I continued going back every Friday. My father started wondering what I was doing going back but as soon as I told him, he thought it was a great idea. “Just don’t forget about your schoolwork,” he said.
In my time going there, I meet a lot of people, young and old, who would volunteer their time and efforts to take care of senior citizens there and in hospitals. At times the hospital would take in an elderly homeless person, and there would be no one to keep them company, so a bunch of volunteers would do so. Just like the woman in the following video. This nurse is actually on her day off but is told this patient would pass away soon. So, she goes to the hospital to see the patient and sing to her!
