“Many see care as soft, but it’s anything but. It takes courage to care. It takes passion to stand up for someone or something you believe in and care about.”
The quote above is from . . . me! Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about care—the word, the concept, the act of caring.
I think about all the millions of women and men whose lives are devoted to caregiving—whether it’s their profession, their family responsibility, or simply because it’s who they are and what they do.
I think about care on a personal level. When I had to have surgery, it made me dependent on the care of others. First and foremost, my children, Katherine, Christina, Patrick, and Christopher, cared for me. Then there were the doctors and nurses whom I didn’t even know, but who stepped up to care for me and care about me.
All of this got me thinking about what care means to me in the most practical of terms. How do I define care? What do I myself care about personally, professionally, and politically? How do I show that I care? How do I know someone cares about me or will care for me? Can your boss really make you feel cared for? Can a political leader? Should he or she even have to care about you?
I think so. I think care is one of the most valuable and important principles for a healthy family and for a healthy community and country.
I think this is a good time for all of us to think about what care means to us. Many see care as soft, but it’s anything but. Care is a tough, muscular concept. It takes courage to care. It takes passion to stand up for someone or something you believe in and care about.
We must each balance our own idea of care with the world’s often cold and sharp judgments that stop the tenderhearted among us from stepping forward.
I’m dedicated to building a more conscious, caring, compassionate, and connected world, and I’m trying to do that while also not caring too much about what others think about me and how I live my life.
If we want to find our passion and our purpose, we have to care about something deeply, and yet not care about what other people say about what we’re doing. Remember, those who judge you don’t know you, nor do they care about who you really are.
So care for yourself. Care for others. But don’t care too much what others think or say. Get that right, and you can change the world.
My mother used to say to me, “If you have your health, you have everything.” I would add that if you have someone who truly cares for you and about you, then you have something money can never buy. And if you yourself also care for someone—truly, honestly, selflessly—then you have the whole wide world.
Dear God, thank you for caring about me and for me. And thank you for allowing me to feel cared for by others. We have been told, “Blessed are the peacemakers,” but may I also remember that “Blessed are the caregivers, too.” Remind me not to overlook the simple but powerful act of caring. Let me be aware when people extend their caring to me, and may I extend it to others. Amen.