KINDNESS by Anita Neilson

They say all good things come at a cost, and this was certainly true for me...

I had a heart attack and ended up in hospital for a week in the run-up to the launch of my newly published book, Acts of Kindness from your Armchair (Ayni Books, 2017), from which the following poem comes. My brief stay in hospital, during which I had a multitude of visitors (I have a big family!) and the best of care, made me realize that there are so many people (and not just in hospital) who have no visitors and very little care. It made me think of loneliness and what a blight on our society it has become; it made me grateful for our national health service (which is free to everyone here in Scotland); it made me appreciate how easily we fundraise for sick children, but when do we remember to think of sick adults?

I’m so grateful for this ‘bump in the road’ which brought my own life back into focus and ignited another ray of compassion to grow within me. This body is a Divine gift, a spiritual link of connection with others, and one which I will not take for granted again. The realization of our interconnection was also re-illumined for me during this time. Hey, it’s easy to be kind to those we like, isn’t it?, but it’s essential for us to spread kindness to all. That’s what we do on this wonderful blog site – spread love, kindness and compassion to others – and what a wonderful gift that is! I hope you like the poem and I wish you, your families and loved ones a very happy holiday season.

Kindness

by Anita Neilson

When you love without, you thrive within

When you care for others

Your Soul is swaddled

In the arms of the Creator.

Each ripple of your compassion

Fills the Infinite Ocean

Each step you take

To connect with your neighbour

Lightens and brightens your inner demeanour.

No longer will you walk on by,

but notice and act

No longer will you make others cry,

But embrace them instead with the

Endless reach of your love.

At each moment,

Recall our Interconnectedness

Remember that We are One.

In this moment,

Know that you are amazing

A blessing from above.

In every moment,

May you choose kindness and love.

Anita Neilson is a Writer, Spiritual Poet and Blogger. A graduate in languages, she travelled, lived and worked in Europe before a career in teaching in Scotland. She has M.E. and Fibromyalgia and is now a self-employed writer. She lives in Ayrshire, in the west of Scotland, with her husband and two dogs. For more information, visit her blog ‘Healing Words’: Facebook Page; and FB Closed Group ‘Acts of Kindness from your Armchair’. Her debut book, "Acts of Kindness from your Armchair", will be published in 2017 by Ayni Books.

~If you are interested in seeing your poetry appear in this blog, or submitting a poem by a woman that has inspired you, please click here for submission guidelines. I greatly look forward to hearing from you!~

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