Have you ever noticed some people have a twinkle in their eye; they never seem to get too upset about anything, yet they are wonderful listeners and you feel that they truly are listening, not just passing time. There is a certain quality to these people. I never hear them bad mouthing others. My father was this way – I can not remember one single instance when I heard him belittle a person or find fault with him. I took it for granted then but now, after all these years I find it a very rare quality indeed. A wise man said once that even if we did nothing of great merit during our lifetimes if we caused no harm to others in word or deed, that would be exalted. 

Just do a little good every day. It doesn’t have to be anything large – it can even be a kind word or observation or compliment. When someone surprises me with an act of compassion or a kind word, I am touched and it penetrates to my core and my day after that tends to be brighter.It is so easy to do yet often we walk past and do nothing or say nothing and thereby miss the chance to brighten someone’s day – even our own- for remember what we do to others we do to ourselves

  It has been said “Listening is an act of love”.This simple act of listening, we do every day without giving it a second’s thought, has within it a remarkable potion, the ability to comfort, heal and rejuvenate the speaker.I am not talking about ‘ listening ‘ as we normally practice it- this kind often involves tapping our mental fingers waiting till the speaker is finished so that we can put in our 2 cents  and illuminate the speaker with our wisdom, humor or cleverness. I am referring to the true act of listening where we do not judge, condemn or find fault. A wise friend once told me her definition of love was to give without expecting anything back. True listening is like this. For a few brief seconds or minutes we listen with our heart. The effects can be amazing.Once,years ago, I sat in a seminar of 12 people conducted by Carl Rogers, the eminent psychologist. To break the ice and get us to know one another he went around the circle asking each person in turn who they were, why they were there, and what they wanted to take away from the seminar. As he listened to each person I was struck by the complete and undivided attention he gave that person -pure love- and as he went around the group people were crying and were  opening and deeply touched by this kind and wise man – and the seminar hadn’t even begun. It was and has been a wonderful example to me of what is possible in even the simplest of acts. 

We often forget that humility is a great and powerful weapon.It can disarm and render weak even the most     formidable opponent. It has a special power that is invulnerable. Think about Ghandhi and Nelson Mandela and the wonders and transformation brought forth by their humilty.