Cultivating compassion is one of our most powerful tools for transformation. It can change our lives, relationships, communities, and our society.
Deep compassion for the self is the root of compassion for others, and turning inward with the whisper of kindness will ripple out through all our relationships. What might happen if you spoke to yourself in the same voice you use for a dear friend going through a hardship?
Cultivating compassion in our relationships can also ripple back towards our own tender hearts. By remembering the quiet struggles faced by everyone in our lives, we can soften our interpretations of their behavior. When combined with healthy boundaries, this softening can allow us to release self-blame.
When we cultivate compassion in our communities and our societies, we develop systems that care for people, prioritize human life, and support our collective thriving.
To that end, we have two October opportunities to build belonging and collective thriving: October 12 at 1:00 pm, Wade Fernandez will share Menominee stories and songs in his workshop “Erasing Stereotypes through Arts and Culture,” and I will lead a workshop on Oct 26 at 1pm called “The Tip of the Iceberg: Uncovering Unconscious Bias.”
Let’s keep cultivating compassion together and use it to build collective thriving.
With love,
Jennifer
Rev. Jennifer Nordstrom, Senior Minister