Support Quotes and Tips

"Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around." -- Leo Buscaglia

"A friend hears the song in my heart and sings it to me when my memory fails." -- Anonymous

"Friends are those rare people who ask how we are and then wait to hear the answer." -- Ed Cunningham

"The language of friendship is not words but meanings." -- Henry David Thoreau

"I felt it shelter to speak to you." -- Emily Dickinson

What I want in my life is compassion, a flow between myself and others based on a mutual giving from the heart." -- Marshall B. Rosenberg

How do we support others who are suffering?

Not wanting to see others in pain, we usually try to do whatever we can to take their pain away. Unfortunately, this rarely helps in the way we intended. In reality, we can't take away their suffering. What we can do is be fully present with them to acknowledge and share in their pain. With compassion, we can keep them company.

It also helps others when we can be present to our own experience and genuine in our feelings. Living our own truth helps create the space for the other person to live theirs.

"The first duty of love is to listen." -- Paul Tillich

"With the gift of listening comes the gift of healing." -- Catherine de Hueck Doherty