On Thursday, January 30, 20 participants gathered in the Lifelong Learning Center at Walnut Village in Anaheim for a day to think together about practicing kindness to self and others.
To begin the day, A quote from The Force of Kindness by Sharon Salzberg.
"A commitment to kindness can be the thread that twines throughout our various successes, disappointments, delights, and traumas, making our lives seamless, giving us ballast in a world of change, a reservoir of heartfulness to infuse our choices, our relationships, and our reactions."
From Rev. Jim Kok, plenary speaker:
"You have the capacities, qualities, and abilities that can brighten another person's life, help them gain confidence, and feel hopeful about life."
From Dr. Cordula Dick-Muehlke, roundtable leader on "Practicing Kindness: Responding to the Needs of People with Dementia."
"The foundations of practicing kindness in dementia are:
- Attitude of radical equality, belief in the personhood of the one with dementia and viewing them as evolving, not disappearing.
- Courage to face and overcome one's own fear of dementia.
- Intentionality in choosing to be proactively kind.
- Being genuinely one's self.
- Being attentive and present, being "with," not just showing up.
- Gaining knowledge about dementia and the person you're serving.
- Focusing on non-cognitive forms of well-being--spiritual, social, relational."
From Chaplain Patrice Nordstrand, Roundtable leader on "Creating a Climate of Kindness in Long Term Care."
"Buddha's Seven Offerings that cost nothing are: a compassionate eye, a smiling face, loving words, physical service, a warm heart, a seat and lodging."
From Nancy Gordon, Roundtable leader on "Be Kind to Myself?"
"Try to feel compassion for how difficult it is to be an imperfect human being in this extremely competitive society of ours. Most of us live in cultures that do not emphasize self-compassion, quite the opposite. We're told that we're being lazy and self-indulgent if we don't harshly criticize ourselves. We're told that no matter how hard we try, our best just isn't good enough. It's time for something different. We can all benefit by learning to be more self-compassionate, and now is the perfect time to start." From Dr. Kristin Neff at http://www.self-compassion.org.
For a list of resources on Practicing Kindness and some ideas for creating a climate of kindness in your setting, click
.
Joy Boosters: 120 Ways to Encourage Older Adults by Missy Buchanan (Upper Room Books, 2013) is a practical guide for those who want to visit and be in relationships with older adults, but aren't quite sure what do or what to say. Buchanan's ideas are creative and doable and give potential visitors new ways of connecting and being present with the older adults in our lives--even family! This book could be particularly helpful for congregations venturing into a visitation ministry.
