I suddenly found myself in the care giver role caring for two elderly relatives. This was a world I would soon discover, I knew nothing about. My area of expertise has always been with children as I was a teacher for many years.

Being thrown into this new role, I sat down at my kitchen table with my head whirling with all the information before me and I took stock of what I did know, what my relatives would need, who would provide it and who would pay for it, and then, I set out to develop a plan. Little did I know, my plan would fall short of what I needed to do but that there would be people there to save me from it all.

Through my educational journey into the world of Health care in the United States, I continue to feel "rescued" many times. I am rescued from my state of confusion over all the services, information, and government information that I receive. My rescuees are none other than the very people who present this information to me. I am now on the other side of the teaching process. They patiently walk me through all the areas necessary for me to understand what will be needed to provide the highest quality of care for the aged people that I hold so dear. They also help me to understand who will pay for it all and what all the options are. These people that I speak of are the many wonderful, caring individuals associated with the many facets of health care. They give new meaning to the word TEAM. They have an amazing way of working together and getting the best results.

As we would go through the process of finding the best care possible, I have encountered women that have a purpose in their lives. Their lives are about helping other people through some of the most difficult times we all face in our lives. These are dedicated individuals who will work seven days a week if it will make someone else's life a little more meaningful and a little easier. These are also the same women who will do the toughest jobs because they care and they want to help people with whatever they need. I feel very blessed to have all of these individuals in my life as they have made all of our lives better by their example, their presence, and their compassion.

This is where I first began to see Compassion at it's best. I then branched out and starting looking for it in other directions and discovered it was everywhere. I can see it through the charity works that people do everyday.

I thought about compassion and how it has affected my life when I saw a picture today of a woman in India who devotes her life to helping others. I needed to only look at a picture of her to see compassion written right across her face. I saw it as I watched the paramedics care for my Grandmother when she was ill. I saw it when I watched the aide gently help her, and I saw it in the visiting nurse who came and brought her husband along to "chat" with my Grandfather as the nurse cared for my Grandmother. I saw it in the social worker who helped us make the hardest decisions we have ever had to make, and I saw it in the care coordinator who managed to keep everything together.

I looked even further and discovered that it was in the most unusual places as well. I saw it in the grocery store when my Grandfather wanted to go shopping to buy the ingredients for soup so that his beloved wife of 66 years would eat something. I saw it in my friends when they could see that the strain a care giver experiences was manifesting itself in me.

I saw it in my business partners who stood by me and supported me and uplifted me as things got worse. With all of these beautiful examples of compassion in my life, I have made the choice to exercise compassion every day with everyone I encounter and I am thankful for the woman who have touched our lives so deeply.