The Comfort of Just Being in the Room

A wounded soldier speaking of Florence Nightingale: "How comforting it always was for her just to be in the room. She would speak to one soldier, then another. Touch as many as she could. But she couldn't really get to all of us. We lay there by the hundreds. But we kissed her shadow as it fell and lay our heads on our pillow again content."
“The people who help us grow toward our true self offer unconditional love, neither judging us nor trying to change us. They surround us with a charged force field that makes us want to grow from the inside out.” – Parker Palmer, A Hidden Wholeness
Affirmative prayer: I am soulfully connected with brothers and sisters the world over in our shared hopes and fears. I pray that, within all persons, there is a knowing that they are not alone, that their life is forever anchored in the Divine and all is well. I pray comfort for my companions and healing for the afflicted. In Haiti, Afghanistan, and all places of strife or conflict, I pray for strength and safety for rescuers, medical staff, and volunteers who give everything in service to others. Indeed, we are one in Spirit. Thank you, God, forever. Amen.

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