Introduction
Nineteen poems all up, but content largely thoughtful QUOTES that have been split into both secular and Christian sections, as with the poems too.
Frank Tyger
EVERYONE NEEDS A PLACE OF REFUGE, A SHELTER FROM THAT NEGATIVE DELUGE, THE
WORLD SO FULL OF HURT AND PAIN, THOSE WOUNDS THAT PROVE NO GAIN, UNLESS USED
IN A POSITIVE WAY, BUT HEY, THERE IS STILL THAT NEED OF THOUGHT AND CARE, MIDST
TENDER TIMES WHEN THINGS ARE HARD TO BEAR, AND WHERE HELPERS ARE FEW, OR
SOME LADDER OUT OF VIEW — SO PLEASE, AND LEST IT NEXT BE YOU.
THAT ARM AROUND THE SHOULDER, THAT CARING CLUTCH OF ONE'S ARM, OR THAT FRIENDLY HUG, SAY,
AND THERE IS SEEN THE HUMAN TOUCH, THAT AFFECTION THAT HELPS US ON OUR WAY, WE NEVER OUTGROWING SUCH, IT SIMPLY IN OUR DNA, AND ALL WHY WE SINK OR SAG WHEN IT'S NOT THERE, THAT
OH SO NEEDED THOUGHT AND CARE, RIGHT FROM BIRTH TO SPREADING GREY, OR ROCKING CHAIR.
Personally, I'm not a lover of platitudes (that pie in the sky stuff), but rather, that which really speaks to the situation — yes, that which bares its soul, that which speaks in defence of, and on behalf of, all who've been mistreated, and/or are deeply pained, and that above all, shows empathy rather than those "Pick yourself up" or "Smile and the world smiles with you" quips or quotes, which while they have their place, certainly aren't desired nor required here.
And hence the following comments I came across:
The truest measure of friendship, love, and humanity is the ability to reach out to that person who is feeling overwhelmed and is hurting. Not with platitudes and Bible verses but with genuine care and support.
Renee Hendricks
And then after the platitudes have been said and embedded solidly into the tired and frazzled minds of the
wounded souls, the silence comes. The phone doesn’t ring, the emails stop, the texts stop texting...But there
is no more precious gift we can give than the gift and time of our presence and ability to sit, be present and
listen with no compulsion to fix or solve.
Mary T. Kelly
Platitudes are often ways of not entering into the actual suffering of the other person. They are ways
of avoiding the intense emotional anguish that the other person feels. Tossing a platitude into the life of
another is often a way of saying "Your suffering isn't all that important; get over it." And the implication
is, "You are interfering with the daily routine of life."
From an article by Mark Miller entitled "Pious Platitudes Turn Friends Into Tormentors."
1. Real Life Teddy Bears
We all need love, we all need help, we all need rescuing, this world in trouble,
And hence why it’s not long before something bursts someone’s cosy little bubble.
The gloves off now, more woes afflicting individually and collectively,
Climate change, wars, calamities, and whatever befalls us personally.
Hence all that emotional and physical pain that’s going down, we all punched
(One way or another), and why over sad or bad news many of us are hunched.
Be it the loss of a loved one, an accident, a lay off, or some health scare,
It taking its toll, and why the burdens of each other we need to help bear.
Hence that sympathy and empathy, that lending a hand, that just being there,
We all in the same battle that’s become life, it often harsh, cruel and unfair.
And hence that need of hugs, arms around the shoulder, or whatever the need be,
That midst such shows love and thought, we thus like real life teddy bears, though less hairy.
Yes, we all need love, we all need help, we all need rescuing, ill ever near,
No one untouched (one way or another), and it healing when people show care.
And thus it all hands on deck, we acting like medics, and always on standby,
Responding the moment a call goes out — though much better still, keeping an eye.
Oh, how the world needs real life teddy bears, and I mean everyone of us,
But we being teddy bears too, that all might receive the appropriate fuss.
We thus loving, helping, and even rescuing, doing what we can to ease
Any hurt, suffering or fear, thereby acting like a warming summer breeze.
By Lance Landall
2. We're All In Life Together
Many of us struggle emotionally, requiring extra thought and care;
In other words, greater sensitivity, lest our load’s made harder to bear.
We doing our best to cope, the amount not always realised, yet try we do,
But cripples are cripples, and all why we need that extra help to make it through.
So please bear this in mind, with love in your heart, ’cause we don’t like being this way,
But life having dealt us a cruel hand, and why sometimes we frustrate or dismay.
We often needing further reassurance, greater forbearance, and why we
Sorely seek that milk of human kindness, our little world rocked so easily.
Life can be random, elderly years brutal, some things not working out, and we
Thus back to visit who might tire of us, and sometimes quite understandingly.
But such is the way it is, and more so for many of us, who so bad feel,
Aware of the unkind mutterings, which further joy and peace is seen to steal.
The truth is, that we’re all in life together, where even the well can fall ill,
Or be struck down emotionally too, having encountered reality’s chill.
And those younger years hardly stay young, all why it behoves us to take more care,
Come any who’re finding life a battle, or who might be wishing they weren’t here.
By Lance Landall
3. Sensitive Souls
This world is full of sensitive souls who need to be treated sensitively,
Lest they somehow fall by the wayside, or suffer even more emotionally.
And oh, how these poor souls can suffer, for sensitivity and empathy
Are in short supply these days, with many others acting indifferently.
If only people would take more care, show much more thought, and go out of their way,
'Cause in the lives of the sensitive, so much anxiety such would allay.
And thereby eliminating an even greater need, for when such souls bleed,
Far more effort and assistance is required, and less success is guaranteed.
Yes, this old world is rough and tough — therefore, life’s not easy for sensitive souls,
So oft found battered and stranded due to life’s rocky outcrops and hidden shoals.
But their lot is made much harder when others display an insensitivity,
'Cause sensitive souls have sensitive hearts, hence why they’re wounded so easily.
And at the end of the day, there’s simply no need for all the wounds they receive,
Made far worse when there is little, nothing, or no one there to such pain relieve.
But rather, others who add insult to injury via insensitivity;
The shame and bane of self-absorbed, ambitious, or indifferent humanity.
By Lance Landall
4. Careless Words
Oh yes, careless words, how they so often cause trouble, wound and defame,
Words one shouldn’t have uttered, shouldn’t have spread, words too late to reclaim.
Words that too easily flow, tales that everyone of us should shun,
They sometimes exploding like dynamite, firing as if from a gun.
Oh yes, careless words, thoughtlessly woven, cruelly knitted, wrongly said,
Words that should never have entered one’s mind, each just like an arrowhead.
Words that fall like bricks, words that crush, words that rapidly extinguish joy,
Words that obliterate happiness, words that far too often destroy.
Oh yes, careless words, snakebites, poisonous cocktails devilishly brewed,
Or words one said taken out of context, tales that facts didn’t include.
Words distorted in the telling, cleverly compelling, sowing doubt,
Words awash with error, invention, that some treachery carried out.
Oh yes, careless words, far too often said, they the bane of humankind,
Words that should never be uttered, words that should never enter one’s mind.
Words best left unspoken, discarded, drowned in self examination,
Or kindly exchanged for words of encouragement or affirmation.
By Lance Landall
5. Brittle Shells
So many folk are damaged, their childhood having suffered somehow, and hence why
They’re often afflicted with lifelong issues, they doing their best to get by.
And as sure as night follows day, their sorry issues spill over on others,
Including their own, hence that repetition of damaged fathers and mothers.
Oh, how such folk suffer, and doubly so, critics pointing to the harm they do,
Rather than helping such innocent sufferers who’ve suffered enough, thank you.
And they, oft feeling unable to help themselves, locked in their struggles-cum-grief,
Yet desperately in need of healing balm, answers that will bring some relief.
And struggle they do, plagued by thoughts and feelings created by another’s ill,
An ill that so often cripples, and that joy and hope is soon seen to farewell.
Hence their obsessions, their fears-cum-anxieties, that behaviour that repels,
Though as I said, they as much a victim as those victims of them, brittle shells.
Yes, brittle indeed, yet far too often callously seized upon, or ignored,
Even denied help, be it due to this or that, and many agencies flawed.
All why such folk oft go unattended, they doing the best they can, but oh,
Many of them terribly handicapped, and thus their progress painfully slow.
And meantime they losing it, cursing it, even trying to explain it, and,
Trying to find ways of coping with it, pained that others just don’t understand.
Not that folk really can if not so afflicted, but hey, how many folk try?
Leaving those brittle shells feeling like oddities; then there’s those things folk imply.
No, such isn’t of their own making, and looking at things realistically,
It’s only natural that the damaged will cause damage, though not wantonly.
In other words, it’s what’s to be expected from childhood trauma or abuse,
And why when it comes to adding to their lot, even their wrong, there’s no excuse.
No one chooses to be a brittle shell, their wrong actions oft automatic,
And by that I mean, things not coming through clearly given that childhood static.
Yes, it’s okay for those of us who’ve no static on the line, hurt that distorts,
And thus has one acting in many negative ways-cum-those harmful exports.
All why I write in defence of brittle shells, they in need of much help and care,
That unconditional love that perseveres, (but nowadays seems so rare),
And that accepts folk as they are, we’re they’re at, and that’s slow to judge their mistakes,
For such folk have been left with internally damaged tools and a heart that aches.
Such why they do or don’t do some things, coping more important than protocol,
And hence how they get condemned unfairly, placed in some that’ll do pigeon hole.
Seems some folk would rather see them crack than not do this or that, (such pure cruelty),
All being why such sufferers must sometimes put themselves first, unfortunately.
Yes, survival being far more important than pleasing folk or looking the part,
And who’d have it any other way, unless they’re devoid of a loving heart.
And once again, why I write in defence of brittle shells who suffer enough;
And given how they hang in there, its surely they worthy of the title tough.
By Lance Landall
6. Those Harder Shells
It’s so easy to get discouraged given the hurts that often come our way,Or when our good intentions are misread, and we, so aware we’re made of clay.
But were we made of iron, or metals just as strong, far less human we would be,
And more like those who seem devoid of feelings-cum-lacking sensitivity.
And who would want to be that way, as handy as a rather hard shell might be,
For those with harder shells are more prone to developing hearts of stone, and we
Well aware of that callousness that such cold hearts exhibit-cum-much cruelty,
Or that indifference far too often seen midst the ranks of humanity.
Yes, sensitivity comes with its cost, one more painfully attuned to ill,
But we far worse off in the scheme of things if one of those with a harder shell.
For while we do need a somewhat protective coating lest cruel darts take us out,
We don’t want to end up like lizards, and thus when it comes to love, we without.
Well, perhaps not totally without, but certainly showing a deficit,
Such quickly seen where there’s a need-cum-cry-cum-where some poor soul could benefit.
And oh, how often that’s the case, those with harder shells just spouting pithy words,
Or doing little when there’s need of much; they too oft grazing with tougher herds.
By Lance Landall
7. Helping Hands And Loving Arms
In this sad old world of ours, where hurt, pain and darkness stalk the land, and enemies are varied and many,
There’s nothing like those helping hands and loving arms — in other words, ears that truly hear, eyes that truly see.
But how rare such are, leaving so many to wash up on life’s uncaring shores, or to smash on callous rocks,
Victims of the coldness and indifference that pervades this Earth, and that strangles, smothers, thumps, shakes or mocks.
Thus, heartache flows like a swollen river, one linked to a turbulent, restless and frightening sea,
Where human shipwrecks lie prostrate on its murky floor, and encrusted with wounds that gape with acts of cruelty.
This after having been dragged down that river, tossed about like broken branches and uprooted shrubbery,
Victims of wild, drenching, stormy weather, unleashed by those with no conscience, or simply behaving selfishly.
And so it goes, that scrap-heap in life growing higher and wider, where others are dumped insensitively,
Their presence barely noticed, or only when it suits, and they, thus neglected, shunned or misused, shamefully.
Just the fodder and playthings of those who live for themselves, those who have no heart, or some wicked agenda,
In other words, anyone who in some way chooses that path and mentality that fouls the offender.
Oh, if only helping hands and loving arms represented humanity — that is, rather than the few,
They being, those who look beyond themselves, and a better, brighter world for all desire to see, and thus pursue.
Those who know that only love should dwell within each heart, and nobleness within the mind — their deeds pure and true —
And also aware that any other way just leads to injury, and in time, a dead-end avenue.
By Lance Landall
8. Struggle Faces
Sometimes what we see is someone’s struggle face, the product of anxiety,
Particular burdens they’re bearing, which plague and spoil the lives of so many.
They robbed of the fullness of joy, hence that sad and weary struggle face we see,
Where once there was a brighter face, until along came that hurt or misery.
Yes, their brighter face hidden, unhappiness disguising, and why we see
Someone who’s a certain way, or someone who seems different, consequently.
And thus those struggle faces needing the response of a brighter face, yours or mine,
One that shows sympathy and empathy, so that in time, their face too, might shine.
By Lance Landall
9. Lifelines
The people in this world who truly touch me, and even deeply,
Are the ones who display a touching, loving sensitivity.
They know that you have problems (unique perhaps, even complex too),
And yet, even though not understanding such, are still kind to you.
They accept your unique issues, and work around them, helpfully,
Thereby responding to your situation very thoughtfully.
They’re gentle, compassionate, caring, even display empathy,
'Cause they have a heart that responds despite your veil of mystery.
That being: Those depths that are deep within you, that no one else can know,
Where, for many struggling souls, tides of pain and heartache ebb and flow.
And where fear and gnawing anxiety threaten to overwhelm,
Because confidence and hope are no longer standing at the helm.
Oh yes, those words of reassurance, those touches that mean so much,
Are needed lifelines, that many midst their struggles eagerly clutch.
However, such lifelines can be few, and such good people rare,
They being: Those who via their selfless kindness, relief and comfort share.
Such people don’t stop to criticize, but to lend a helping hand,
Knowing that there are times in life when things don’t always go as planned,
And that life can deal us heavy blows, treat us harshly, unfairly,
And that when it does, a hand and not a boot is the therapy.
Yes, such people truly touch me, and are the kind who can reach me,
For this impartial love that they show affects me very deeply.
It’s very healing, it lifts me up, it gives me hope, helps me cope,
'Cause it’s a light in the darkness and an unconditional rope.
Likewise for other people too, who struggle emotionally
With those cold shadows of darkness that can haunt one internally.
And for whom the daily cares can often seem far too much to bear,
And who're so in need of a sensitivity that says, “I CARE.”
By Lance Landall
"Eyes that look are common, eyes that see are rare."
J. Oswald Sanders
10. Take Up The Challenge
The tragedy is, that when some poor soul has issues, no one wants to know them,
And are quick with many excuses for backing off, or are quick to condemn.
So how do these folk get the help they need, that help that changes? Well, hopefully,
Because nothing is gained by backing off, but much by responding lovingly.
Issues aren’t the person, but simply damage that’s inside, which needs repairing,
Many of these poor souls wanting help, but because it’s not there, they despairing.
So hey, be the person that they need — well, as best you can be, lest they worsen,
For that is love, and lest they kick back at society, for who’ll be cursin’?
By Lance Landall
11. It Matters
Hey, we’re all struggling one way or another, and have our faults and failings, so
Why aren’t we pulling together, sharing the burdens of life, all friends, no foe?
There’s so much pain and suffering, and such common to all, eventually,
Hence why we should pause where there’s such, giving support and expressing sympathy.
Yes, it matters — oh, how it matters — both ill and evil lessened by such care,
We stopping to lend a hand, set someone back on their feet; and one day we there.
Oh, how such thoughtfulness makes a difference, lightens some load, brightens some day,
We all on the same spinning planet, and why what goes ’round comes ’round, Nature’s way.
By Lance Landall
12. Kind And Tender
Always be kind and tender, a lover of good and never an offender,
But rather, a ready Samaritan, a generous giver and lender,
Someone who’s a protector, a loving soul with a sound, compassionate heart,
Proof positive that there’s a God, hater of cruelty and every black art.
Yes, always be kind and tender, your touch warm and feather-like, a healing balm,
Your concern and sacrifice mirroring selfless wounds on Someone’s feet, each palm,
Your presence noteworthy, desired, sought, and your words and acts straight from the heart,
Proof positive you’re no devil, but a lover of mercy, any good art.
And I say it again, always be kind and tender, your understanding full,
You having listened to all, and your own pain responding to another’s call,
Urgent tap or pull;
For as we suffer, so we relate, becoming even more kind and tender,
And may we remain so, regardless of someone’s race, religion or gender.
By Lance Landall
13. Hospital Humanity
A stay in hospital, short or long, and an operation, will have you see
A microcosm of critical humanitarian activity.
Those operating theatres always busy, and recovery rooms too,
Many people having been rescued from misery — though such, others still due.
There's always a needy queue, and therefore, nurses, doctors and surgeons on call,
And I thinking, why isn’t the world a hospital, dedicated to all?
Yes, everyone attended to, and thus love, thought and care always busy,
We all kind of nurses, doctors and surgeons — yes, hospital humanity.
By Lance Landall
14. Behind The Heroic Facade
People may well appear fine, but underneath and behind the scene, it not so,
They even acting the proverbial clown — yes, it kind of on with the show.
But in reality, it quite another story, a sad, heartbreaking scene,
A lonely struggle, a battle, which behind the heroic facade isn’t seen.
However, there may be signs, which only the caring observer sees and notes
(Or those who’re fellow clowns), their inner sadness covered by specially made coats.
They doing their best, finding whatever props, but really and truly in need
Of loving human intervention — yes, thought and care, and why for them I plead.
By Lance Landall
15. NEVER!
There’s few people who get through this life unscarred, one way or another, sadly,
Childhood trauma, things along the way — Yes, life having treated many badly.
And they’re found everywhere, in or out a church, the whole world full of cripples,
And it’s no wonder given the variously caused or plotted evils and ills.
All of which calls for thought and care, many barely managing, thus so in need,
Their eyes reflecting heavy burdens, their facial expressions seeming to plead.
And surely love compelling us to respond, we all in need along the way,
Pain coming to us all, somehow, somewhere, sometime, or things that heavily weigh.
And so, darkness needing friendly lights, burdens needing helping hands; and pain wise
Any healing balm — yes, anything that will ease those worries, burdens and cries.
And hopefully, there no bias in our response, but whoever, wherever,
No one left to battle on their own, no one left to fall unnoticed — no, NEVER!
By Lance Landall
16. Seeds
Life’s about sowing seeds of love, thought and care, words and actions that help and change,
And change often the result of a number of seeds, even various range.
Yes, different people, different words and actions, and all playing their part,
And each coming at different times and places, working on the mind and heart.
And each seed building on the other, no one reaping the fruitage on their own,
Each seed having its own importance, and thus unable to succeed alone.
Success but the result of all who bothered, took the time, made the effort, and
Said what watered the previous seed, be it encouragement or a helping hand.
And seeds coming in various shapes and sizes, fitting the situation,
Cutting the cloth to suit, a team effort, perhaps, or personal creation.
And hence why we need to pause here, because what if one seed was missing, your seed,
Or my seed? And why the wisdom of foresight, not hindsight, we surely should heed.
By Lance Landall
17. Special Attention
They smile, even laugh, seem bright and cheery, but behind that scene, they’re struggling, and
In need of special attention, not that general “How are you?” — so off-hand.
In other words, shallow, not really wanting to go much deeper, and therefore,
“I’m fine, thanks,” suiting them — well, seemingly so — yes, just enough to not ignore.
Or maybe there is a degree of would-go-further, but not enough, and so,
Half a sandwich coming instead of a three course meal, so to speak, then, “Cheerio.”
Yes, no follow up, no special attention, despite the real need, hurt or pain,
Emotional or physical struggle, and thus that low spirit left to reign.
I’ve seen this with Christians too, “I’ll pray for you” meaning, when they remember, or,
In passing come their prayer or prayers, one being an add-on, pretty much nothing more.
Thus there no weeping and pleading on some strugglers behalf, no “Please, Lord, please!” and
Without ceasing, but what appeases a stifled conscience, or walk that is bland.
Yes, where’s the passion, that gutsy loving thought and care? Most of us just not there,
Hence why many continue to limp, their burden even heavier to bear.
Oh, how it makes the battle tougher, lip service leaving a sting, and all why
There needs to be that special attention, one stopping awhile, not passing by.
Little is gained when little is done, though something’s better than nothing, I guess,
A smile or kindly word meaning a lot sometimes, love coming in many a dress.
But too often it’s just a crumb when a loaf is needed, more effort and time,
’Cause without such, faint hearts and weak legs can find hills and ladders harder to climb.
By Lance Landall
Alternative poem.
18 Mind Those Platitudes
Though platitudes may
contain wisdom, they’re often shallow and trite, and when used
inappropriately, they can simply aggravate one’s plight, 'cause midst a
serious situation, or one’s personal tribulation, such pithiness is far
to flippant and light.
Though better to roll with any punches in our life, though better to positively face troubles and strife, though better to reset our sails
amidst life’s gales, it’s much easier said than done, hence why so many
succumb, for oft a burden is more than one can bear, and if supportive,
loving, and caring folk aren’t there, or nothing but pithy words and
platitudes share, a burden can become more burdensome, and the bearer
of that burden may cease to persevere, even take their life — and that
suicides are rife, is certainly very clear.
Yes, pious platitudes can turn friends into tormentors — well,
so-called friends, anyway — who rather than lending a hand, and trying
to understand, or empathy convey, often take the easy way out, and
their shallowness thereby shout, 'cause all they offer is platitudes (oft
the result of certain attitudes), that rather than ease or heal, even
impatience reveal — such acting just like a clout.
Yes, platitudes are simply that, just platitudes, which midst deep
suffering and pain, neither ease nor even explain, and which, instead
of helping one on their way, recovery may even delay, for it’s not just
words they need (though not those over which they may brood and
bleed), but a listening ear, support and empathy, come caring humanity
— yes, just being there.
By Lance Landall
START:
"Oh,
the comfort, the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person;
having neither to weigh thoughts nor to measure words but to pour them
all out, just as it is, chaff and grain together, knowing that a
faithful hand will take and sift them, keeping what is worth keeping,
and then, with the breath of kindness, blow the rest away."
Dinah Maria Craik — her quote oft attributed to
George Elliot by mistake (whose real name was Mary Anne Evans).
"When we
honestly ask ourselves
which person in our lives means the most to us, we often find that it
is
those who, instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen
rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a warm and tender
hand. The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or
confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement,
who can tolerate not knowing, not curing, not healing, and face with us
the reality of our powerlessness, that is a friend who cares."
Henri J.M. Nouwen
"It was only a sunny
smile, and little it cost in the giving, but like morning light, it
scattered the night, and made the day worth living."
Anonymous
“Empathy is a
respectful understanding of what others are
experiencing. Instead of offering empathy, we often have a
strong urge to give advice or reassurance and to explain our own
position or feeling. Empathy, however, calls upon us to empty
our mind and listen to others with our whole being."
Marshall Rosenberg
"There is no
effect more disproportionate to its cause than the happiness bestowed
by a small compliment."
Robert Brault
"Life's
most persistent and urgent question is, What are you doing for others?"
Martin Luther King, Jr.
"Make no judgements where you
have no compassion."
Anne McCaffrey.
"Never look down
on anybody unless you're helping them up."
Jesse Jackson
"Charity
sees the need, not the cause."
German
Proverb
"Too
often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a
listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all
of which have the potential to turn a life around."
Leo Buscaglia
"Empathy
depends not only on one's ability to identify someone else's emotions
but also on one's capacity to put oneself in the other person's place
and to experience an appropriate emotional response"
Charles G. Morris
"A hurtful act is the transference to others of the degradation which
we bear in ourselves."
Simone Weil
“The ocean is
made of drops."
Mother Teresa
“Let your heart
feel for the afflictions and distress of everyone.”
George Washington
"I believe that
this neglected, wounded, inner child of the past is the major source of
human misery."
John Bradshaw
"Sympathy is two hearts
tugging at one load."
Charles Henry Parkhurst
"There is no
greater loan than a sympathetic ear."
Frank Tyger
"Tis not
enough to help the feeble up, but to support them after."
William Shakespeare
"Simple
explanations of the cause of emotional illness just don't exist,
because we are all fearfully and wonderfully--and differently--made. To
say that an emotionally ill person is totally and personally
responsible for his or her problem because of personal choices and
actions is tantamount to saying that someone with diabetes or heart
disease chose to be ill. Personal responsibility plays a part in
emotional illness, but in almost every case it is only one piece of the
puzzle."
Dwight L. Carlson, M.D.
"The heart
has eyes that the brain knows nothing of."
Charles Henry Parkhurst
"All great
discoveries are made by men whose feelings run ahead of their thinking."
Charles
Henry Parkhurst
"If I can stop
one heart from breaking,
I shall not live in vain:
If I can ease one life
the aching,
Or cool one pain,
Or help one fainting robin
Unto his nest again,
I shall not live in
vain."
Emily Dickinson
"Every man
has his secret sorrows which the world knows not; and often times we
call a man cold when he is only sad."
Henry
Wadsworth Longfellow
"Ever has it
been that love knows not its own depth until the hour of separation."
Kahlil Gibran
"There's one sad
truth in life I've found
While journeying east and
west -
The only folks we really
wound
Are those we love the
best.
We flatter those we
scarcely know,
We please the fleeting
guest,
And deal full many a
thoughtless blow
To those who love us
best."
Ella Wheeler Wilcox
"Someone to
tell it to is one of the fundamental needs of human beings."
Miles Franklin
"We are,
many of us, a planet orbiting somebody's sun, unconscious of a lonely
moon, orbiting our planet."
Robert Brault
"Grief knits
two hearts in closer bonds than happiness ever can; and common
sufferings are far stronger links than common joys."
Alphonse de Lamartine
"I have
always found that mercy bears richer fruits than strict justice."
Abraham Lincoln
"When a
person is down in the world, an ounce of help is better than a pound of
preaching."
Edward G. Bulwer Lytton
"No stranger
to trouble myself, I am learning to care for the unhappy."
Virgil
"The
capacity to care is the thing that gives life its deepest meaning and
significance."
Pablo Casals
"Never
believe that a few caring people can't change the world. For, indeed,
that's all who ever have."
Margaret Mead
"A torn
jacket is soon mended, but hard words bruise the heart of a child."
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
"Sometimes
the people who hurt us the most are people who were hurt more than us."
Philipos
"I'm not
very good
At this Game called Life
For I've not learned to
see children crying
Without feeling pain
For I've not learned to
watch animals destroyed
Without wondering why
For I've not yet met a
king or a celebrity
That I would bow down to
Or a man so insignificant
That I would use for a
stepping-stone
For I've not learned to
be a 'yes man'
To narrow minded bosses
Who quote rules without
reason
And I've not learned to
manipulate
The feelings of others
To be used for my own
advantages
Then cast aside as I see
fit
No, I'm not very good
At this Game called Life
And if everything goes
well
Maybe I never will be."
Javan, American author and poet
"Where there
is great love there are always miracles."
Willa Cather
"The
greatest degree of inner tranquility comes from the development of love
and compassion. The more we care for the happiness of others, the
greater is our own sense of well-being."
Tenzin Gyatso
"A
helping word to one in trouble is often like a switch on a railroad
track... an inch between wreck and smooth, rolling prosperity."
Henry Ward Beecher
"People need
loving the most when they deserve it the least."
John Harrison
"A
stiff apology is a second insult. The injured party does not want to be
compensated because he has been wronged; he wants to be healed because
he has been hurt."
G.K. Chesteron
"What do we live
for, if it is not to make life less difficult for each other?"
George Elliott
"The tears I
feel today
I'll wait to shed
tomorrow.
Though I'll not sleep
this night
Nor find surcease from
sorrow.
My eyes must keep their
sight:
I dare not be
tear-blinded.
I must be free to talk
Not choked with grief,
clear-minded.
My mouth cannot betray
The anguish that I know.
Yes, I'll keep my tears
til later:
But my grief will never
go."
Anne McCaffrey
"How sad it
is that we give up on people who are just like us."
Fred Rogers
“There
are moments in life, when the heart is so full of emotion, that if by
chance it be shaken, or into its depths like a pebble, drops some
careless word, it overflows, and its secret, spilt on the ground like
water, can never be gathered together.”
Henry Wadsworth
"Our prime
purpose in this life is to help others. And if you can't help them, at
least don't hurt them."
Dalai Lama
"The
soul of conversation is sympathy."
Thomas Campbell
"Nothing increases the respect
and gratitude of one man for another more than when he is heard exactly
and with interest."
R. Umbach
"Kindness
is in our power, even when fondness is not."
Samuel Johnson
"True friendship isn't
about being there when it's convenient; it's about being there when
it's not."
Unknown.
"A smile cures the wounding of a
frown."
William Shakespeare
"Kindly
words, sympathizing attentions, watchfulness against wounding men's
sensitiveness — these cost very little, but they are priceless in their
value."
Frederick W. Robertson
"Be kinder than necessary
because everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle."
Unsure of source
Joseph Addison
“A critic is someone who never actually goes to the battle, yet who afterwards comes out shooting the wounded.” Tyne Daly
"Kindness is loving people more than they deserve."
Joseph Joubert
“A true friend
knows your weaknesses
but shows you your strengths;
feels your fears
but fortifies your faith;
sees your anxieties
but frees your spirit;
recognizes your disabilities
but emphasizes your possibilities.”
William Ward
"Where there's sorrow there's depth."
The Author
"Another's need is another's test."
The Author
"There are no two friends like empathy and sympathy."
The Author
"He cannot heal who has not suffered much,
For only a sufferer sorrow understands;
They will not come for healing at our touch
Who have not seen the scars upon our hands."
Edwin McNeill Poteat, Stigmata.
“Don’t let someone’s rough patch and consequent out of character behaviour give you the wrong measure of them.”
The Author
“Words are nice, but arms are always better.”
The Author
“Midst our loneliness, there are others who’re very lonely too, and the answer oft lying in the seeking.”
The Author
"Don’t let an indifferent breeze snuff the flame of your candle."
The Author
"Help is sometimes found in unexpected places."
The Author
"When all hope seems gone, miracles come into their own."
The Author
"Where love's not seen it's hardly been."
The Author
Christian Section
When You're Feeling Like A Child
When you’re feeling like a child, in this world that’s rough and wild, please take heart, dear friend,
’Cause there’s a God who truly cares, and who understands all your fears, soon to end.
And there beside Him you will be, and right throughout eternity, safe and sound,
Another soul who braved it all, responded to the Master’s call, lost yet found.
Oh, that precious blood of Calvary hue, which flowed with love for you, say “Amen,”
’Cause there’s no greater thought and care, and why your sins He sought to bear, hence my pen.
Yes, you’re the apple of His eye, and all why He’s seen to sigh, longingly,
Aware of all that troubles you, and hence His angels too, so home you’ll be.
By Lance Landall
Dear....
It’s a wonderful thing that in God’s eyes, we’re all seen as precious, valued the same,
Whether humbly working in the background, or the recipient of certain fame.
And the reason why I say this is, 'cause we can feel inferior, lost at sea,
Or unable to make the grade oft set by other members of humanity.
And perhaps we’re somewhat unhappy with life, it troublesome or flat, say, and we
Feeling frustrated, disappointed or discouraged, and God’s presence hard to see.
And fellow Christians not always there for us, and who ever truly understands?
Many caught up in daily distractions, and their successes evading our hands.
So back to that God who views us as the apple of His eye, and who longs for us,
Despite our fallenness, weaknesses, even on-and-off-ness — oh, precious Jesus!
He not unmindful of our struggles, and though disappointed with our moans and groans,
He still loves us, considers our requests, daily watches over us, and His ear loans.
So keep your chin up midst what seems like bad luck, or the possible slights of others,
Remembering that things aren’t always that great in the lives of sisters and brothers.
And wonderful dreams often smashed, the rich and famous suffering from bad things too,
The other man or woman’s grass not always greener, despite the seemingly nice view.
But that greener grass will come for us one day, it only a kingdom away,
God’s kingdom, where dreams will come true, and forever too, providing that we don’t stray.
Yes, our eyes on Christ, not people, ’cause people will always let us down, this life too,
And hence my attempt to not only show empathy, but also encourage you.
By Lance Landall
"And
yet the fact remains that there is no conceivable way of proving that
we love God other than by loving men. And there is no conceivable way
of proving that we love men than by doing something for those who most
need help."
William Barclay
"Little is
much if God is in it."
Kittie J. Suffield
"Fits
of depression come over the most of us. Cheerful as we may be, we must
at intervals be cast down. The strong are not always vigorous, the wise
not always ready, the brave not always courageous, and the joyous not
always happy.
There may be here and there men of iron to
whom wear and tear work no perceptible detriment, but surely the rust
frets even these; and as for ordinary men, the Lord knows and makes
them to know that they are but dust.
Knowing
by most painful experience what deep depression of spirit means, being
visited therewith at seasons by no means few or far between, I thought
it might be consolatory to some of my brethren if I gave my thoughts
thereon, that younger men might not fancy that some strange thing had
happened to them when they became for a season possessed by melancholy;
and that sadder men might know that one upon whom the sun has shone
right joyously did not always walk in the light.
It
is not necessary by quotations from the biographies of eminent
ministers to prove that seasons of fearful prostration have fallen to
the lot of most, if not all, of them. The life of Luther might suffice
to give a thousand instances, and he was by no means of the weaker
sort. His great spirit was often in the seventh heaven of exultation,
and as frequently on the borders of despair. His very deathbed was not
free from tempests, and he sobbed himself into his last sleep like a
greatly wearied child."
Charles Spurgeon
"Hereby
perceive we the love of God, because He laid down His life for us, and
we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren." How often I think of
that 'ought.' No sugary sentiment there. Just the stern, glorious
trumpet call, OUGHT.
Amy Carmichael
"We
must never minimize the suffering of another. Scripture's mandate to us
is, "Weep with them that weep." (Romans 12:15, KJV) "
Billy Graham
"The
first service one owes to others in the fellowship consists in
listening to them. Just as love of God begins in listening to His Word,
so the beginning of love for the brethren is learning to listen to
them. It is God's love for us that He not only gives us His Word but
lends us His ear. So it is His work that we do for our brother when we
learn to listen
to him."
Dietrich Bonhoeffer
"Kind words,
kind looks, kind acts and
warm handshakes, these are means of grace when men in trouble are
fighting their unseen battles."
John Hall
"People
often find to their horror that the most agonizing aspect of a painful
trial is the well-meaning remarks and advice of fellow Christians."
Grantly Morris
The
following poem by Helen Steiner Rice is
called "Everyone Needs Someone"
People need people and
friends need friends
And we all need love for
a full life depends
Not on vast riches or
great acclaim
Not on success or on
worldly fame
But just in knowing that
someone cares
And holds us close in
their thoughts and prayers
For only the knowledge
that we're understood
Makes everyday living
feel wonderfully good
And we rob ourselves of
life's greatest need
When we "lock up our
hearts" and fail to heed
The outstretched hand
reaching to find
A kindred spirit whose
heart and mind
Are lonely and longing to
somehow share
Our joys and sorrows and
to make us aware
That life's completeness
and richness depends
On the things we share
with our loved ones
and friends.
When
feeling rejected by God, remember that He died for you warts and all,
and that He knows how stubborn warts can be.
When
tempted to think that God's not there, remember that His angels always are,
and that they know you're mistaken.
When
feeling devoid of strength to carry on, remember that God never
expected you to carry your own burdens but to leave them with Him.
The Author
The
following poem by May
Riley Smith
is
called "Sometime."
Sometime,
when all life’s lessons have been learned,
And sun and stars forevermore have set,
The things which our weak judgments here have spurned,
The things o’er which we grieved with lashes wet,
Will flash before us out of life’s dark night,
As stars shine most in deeper tints of blue;
And we shall see how all God’s plans are right,
And how what seemed reproof was love most true.
Then be content poor heart;
God’s plans, like lilies pure and white, unfold;
we must not tear the close-shut leaves apart,—
Time will reveal the chalices of gold.
And if, through patient toil, we reach the land
Where tired feet, with sandals loosed, may rest,
When we shall clearly see and understand,
I think that we will say, “God knew the best!”
"He heareth the cry of
the afflicted" (Job 34:28, KJV).
"Christ's
death on Calvary came with a promise: You can trust Me."
The Author
"My health
may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of
my heart; He is mine forever"
(Ps 73:26, NLT).
The
following hymn by Helen H. Lemmel is called "Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus."
O soul, are
you weary and troubled?
No light in the darkness you see?
There’s light for a look at the Savior,
And life more abundant and free!
Refrain:
Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.
Through death into life everlasting
He passed, and we follow Him there;
O’er us sin no more hath dominion—
For more than conqu’rors we are!
His Word shall not fail you—He promised;
Believe Him, and all will be well:
Then go to a world that is dying,
His perfect salvation to tell!
