I read an article this week that told a story of how country singer Dolly Parton made a recent phone call to one of her super fans in Utah who is approaching end-of-life due to terminal cancer. If you are unfamiliar with who Dolly Parton is, not only is she a celebrated singer/songwriter, but she is also a highly successful businesswoman with a net worth of around $650 Million. Dolly gives back to the community and is well known for her charitable work, but taking the time out of her busy day to call a single fan and fulfilling his dying wish exceeds anyone's expectations. To top it off, during the call she sang to him the song she wrote, "I Will Always Love You." Dolly's act of kindness brought joy into the heart of a suffering man.
To me, this is even more poignant given the strength it takes to comfort someone who is dying or someone who has suffered great loss. I say this because I personally find this very difficult. I never quite know what to say and as I run the words through my head, nothing seems worthy of the situation. Yet it is in times of turmoil that one needs comfort most and the most compassionate thing we can do is to be present and try to lessen or share the grief.
I leave you with two quotes. The first is from Scouting's founder, Baden-Powell who said, "The most worth-while thing is to try and put happiness into the lives of others." The second is from Dolly Parton herself, "If you see someone without a smile, give 'em yours." Know that often being compassionate is difficult and sometimes just being present is enough to lessen the pain of loss.
A Scout is Kind.