Living in Harmony with the Squrriels in the Chimney

A few days ago, I suddenly spotted a big hole in the side of my chimney. Since it’s really a big wooden frame around my actual “chimney” (which houses a Heatilator ®and a pipe), the outside “box” is apparently fairly empty. Or it was until something gnawed a hole the size of softball in the side … Continue reading →

Yes, Compassion Can be Crazy at Times.

Neighbors may have wondered what I was doing digging in the deep snow along the street curbs this morning. Many stray cats, kittens and other critters take refuge in the storm drains during winter (because they remain warmer than the surface). I realized last night that many drains had been deeply covered by snow plows. I … Continue reading →

Cruelty Reigns in Ohio as Police Officer Kills Kittens

Called by a homeowner to remove feral kittens living in a woodpile – supposedly because they were causing fleas in her house — an Ohio police officer solved the problem by telling her the shelters were full and then shooting the kittens in front of the family. The mother cat apparently escaped. There simply isn’t a … Continue reading →

How Does Someone Learn Compassion?

It stands to reason that a blog about compassion would sooner or later have to deal with the question, “How do you teach compassion?“ The better question is perhaps, “How do you learn compassion?”A blog that I have begun following showed up in my email the other day with at least part of the answer.  … Continue reading →

Animal Rights Groups Doing USDA’s Job?

I was reading tonight about the investigation into Central Valley Meat Company in California, after an animal rights group released a horrific video shot by a company employee, which shows downed cows being abused by workers and dragged to slaughter, still alive and struggling.  (Here’s a link to the AP story: http://www.centurylink.net/news/read.php?rip_id=%3CDA0PSTO00%40news.ap.org%3E&ps=1011) After seeing the … Continue reading →

Our Litte Brothers and Sisters, the Animals.

St. Francis of Assisi called the animals, birds and all creatures on this planet “our little brothers and sisters.” In his day, people lived closer to the natural world, and the animals.  Yet, their view of animals was a lot like that of people today.  Many view animals as somehow lesser in value than human beings, but … Continue reading →

Hiring and Firing Are Always Opportunities for Compassion

A friend of mine recently was interviewed for a part-time job at a local, and very large, church.  She needed the work, although she was a little hesitant whether part-time was really going to solve any problems. But the job was intriguing (youth activities), the pay was good, and hey, how could you go wrong working for … Continue reading →

Listening is An Act of Compassion

This week, I’m copying a blog post from our sister site at questingmooncommunications.wordpress.com, because it deals with a topic that is rightly a compassion issue. If you have never considered listening a management tool, or a teaching tool, or simply one of the most important tools you have for any activity in life, think again. … Continue reading →

Social Media Comments Reveal The Best and Worst In Us

Okay, so after roaming around on social media for a while now, I have to admit that what catches my attention the most is . . . how angry people are.  Don’t get me wrong: I sympathize. I’m pretty darn angry myself at times with the world, cruelty, dumb behavior, etc.  But I’m trying to … Continue reading →

Compassion: A New Way Of Looking At Life

I googled “compassion” today and found the results intriguing. Two books came up at the top. The first is the Dalai Lama’s The Compassionate Life, and the next was Marc Ian Barasch’s The Compassionate Life: Walking the Path of Kindness. They were found on Amazon. com. I have often read the Dalai Lama, and find him to … Continue reading →