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Feb 9, 2007
"Compassion is not a relationship between the healer and the wounded. It's a relationship between equals. Only when we know our own darkness well can we be present with the darkness of others. Compassion becomes real when we recognize our shared humanity." --Pema Chodron
From Loss to Compassionate Action
Seven years ago, Pam and Randy Cope’s lives revolved around their son’s baseball games, their daughter’s dance lessons and family vacations. All that changed dramatically in 1999, when their fifteen-year old son, Jantsen, died unexpectedly of an undetected heart ailment. With his death, Mrs. Cope said, "we were instantly transformed into different people. We couldn’t resume normal life." Seeking to create a legacy for their child, the couple founded a unique organization dedicated to helping desperate children in faraway places. Working mainly in Cambodia and Vietnam, they have helped finance shelters for children who are abused, handicapped, living on the street or orphaned by AIDS. And last month, Mrs. Cope returned from Ghana, where she financed the rescue of seven children working as indentured servants on fishing boats for as little as $20 a year.
BE THE CHANGE
Consider your own experiences of loss, big or small, and the transformations they have led to. A person, a memory, an opportunity? A friend, a path, a wallet? More ...
