Compassion, defined in the dictionary as a sympathetic pity and concern for the sufferings or misfortunes of others. Shining Hope’s definition of compassion: empathy, wrapped up in a genuine desire to show love for another. Compassion, a noun that has been buried under bitterness and hurting hearts for decades. Unfortunately, judgmental minds and societal pressures have seemingly overpowered the innate human desire to show kindness and compassion to another in vulnerable situations. In a world full of confusion and chaos, never underestimate the power of compassion, and the ability to shine light into the darkness of a hurting heart.

The young woman walked up and down the grocery isle, with her very active and spunky 2 year-old chattering away in the cart. Her eyes scrolled the shelf..ughh, she thought, I know it’s here, it’s my last item. She looked down at the WIC check,  1- 16 oz whole grain whole wheat food, it read. Anxious thoughts capturing her mind, If get up there and it’s not an approved item then I will stand there embarrassed,  while people in back of me impatiently wait.  Reluctantly , the young woman went up to the front anyway, failing to find anyone to help her in the store on a busy Saturday morning. “Excuse me,” she said to the grocery clerk. “I cannot find this bread item.It’s always right over there on the shelf and says it’s WIC approved?” The clerk not eager to help the young woman, reached for her  loud speaker and said,”WELFARE check, aisle 4. WELFARE check aisle 4″ Appalled and humiliated, the young woman stepped back and shamefully  pushed her cart and her little chatterbox back to aisle 4.

*WIC – Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children. It is a federal assistance program of the Food and Nutrition Service for healthcare and nutrition of low-income pregnant women, breastfeeding women, and infants and children under the age of five.