At a service of thanksgiving for organ donors and recipients, I was reminded of how much I have.  A young mother whose son took his life stood before a large congregation, a family who seemed to have everything.  A family whose lives were unexpectedly changed forever. At a time when she was grieving the most, she gave the most precious gift of all, that of life to at least 8 people.  Leaving the Cathedral, you could see it was hard for people to know quite what to say as they passed ‘Donor Families’, identifiable by the camelia called ‘Donation’, each carried, given as a small token of recognition. An exchange of gentle smiles, no words needed. My strong sister is alive today because of such self-less generosity and for that I am forever grateful and value every moment that I can share with her, hard when we live on opposite sides of the world.  Technology is a poor substitute for human connection but it does help to bridge that gap.

It’s human nature to give out.  Take the top three complaints people have: lack of time, lack of money,  poor work/ life balance.  All of which we have the power to change, if we really wish.  And where circumstances do not permit significant change as quickly as we might  like, we can still affect the outcome of each and every situation through the way in which we communicate.  Through listening instead of simply hearing. Through helping others by freely sharing our knowledge. Being supportive through our own words and as importantly, being compassionate and non-judgemental, for what we see is not always the whole picture.  The mother whose child cried throughout the service probably had no-one to take the baby for her.  As an organ recipient, she needed to be there to give thanks too.

There’s a reason we have two ears, two eyes and one mouth…..