The series provides simple practices for compassionate everyday caregiving grounded in mindfulness, self-compassion and fuelled by kindness.

“A cashier gave me a senior citizen’s discount but when I told her I was not yet 60 and did not qualify, she apologised profusely. I told her I was not annoyed but amused and we spent the next minutes learning about each other’s interest in music.” This was one experience when we asked everyone to share a significant encounter in the past week.

Others included pleasant exchanges between 2 mothers and their daughters that were unexpected, being recognised and greeted by a hawker on a second visit, a doctor taking much care not to alarm his patient, students trusting their teacher with their feelings and being showered with generous hospitality from a family one had just met.

Every situation was different but yet similar in that the attention each storyteller received was a “mirror” for them to recognise themselves and a “window” that revealed friendliness, care, humour and joy.

Sometimes when we look at a glass window, we see both our reflection and whatever’s beyond and if we imagine the window as a painting or a photograph, it would be one where our image is integrated with everything else in the frame. It is as though we are one with everything we see.

The encounters shared were significant as there was a connection between people and as each story was shared, it was integrated into the session creating connections with and among participants, morphing into a shared experience of wholeness.

When we listen to connect, we integrate our experiences and co-create a whole new space to invite and hold compassion, kindness and the qualities that we care about and seek. I found it gratifying that “Finding Wholeness in Integration” was not a lesson taught but one that was co-created and experienced.

For peace and community,

Gerard