Missed the show?  We’ve got you covered!  It was awesome and you can hear it all right here!

Educator, Kindness Consultant, and Founder of KindLiving.net, Andy Smallman, joined us from San Francisco to inspire people to both recognize and engage in acts of ordinary kindness, promoting ordinary activities that awaken kindness, helping us to connect to our true nature and increase peace in the world.  One of the best ways of creating magic is to stretch ourselves and commit random acts of kindness and showing compassion toward people whom we don’t know and who are different than ourselves.  Andy has created free courses, games, and challenges for us to inspire us to increase our kindness toward ourselves, toward our loved ones, and toward people in far off places whom we have never met, spreading peace throughout the world and increasing our own joyfulness, inner peace, and vitality.  Find out about all of the opportunities to get involved with increasing kindness in your life and in the world by checking out his website:  KindnessAndy.com.  And check out the world-wide CompassionGames.org, which Andy helped to create.  It has taken off and grown into an amazing phenomenon of kindness and compassion!  And check out the Compassion Games Facebook page!!  This is truly awesome!  

Follow Andy’s blog on Medium for articles on Kindness and follow Kind Living on Facebook.

Andy Smallman, Founder, KindLiving.net

Speaking of showing kindness and compassion to those who are outside of our own network or “tribe,” Kristin Wright joined us from Central Texas after returning from a participant on a trip to the Texas-Mexico border with Courts & Ports, a group offering a 2-day immersion experience to engage people of faith to witness first-hand the legal and law enforcement processes related to immigration, detention, and deportation occurring in South Texas.  Kristin told us about all that she witnessed in the courtroom, the bus stop (where the migrants are dropped off after release from detention centers), and at two different respite centers for migrant families, as well as the stories of danger and violence from whence the families fled.  It was quite moving.  I hope you’ll listen so that you can hear what she saw first hand.  The volunteers helping the asylum-seeking families with compassionate life-saving care are overwhelmed.  They could use help and donations.  For example, one of the places visited by Kristen was the center at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in McAllen, near the U.S.-Mexico border.  According to reports, they serve about 100 immigrant parents and children every day.  And Kristin confirmed the crowded facilities.  If you want to help with a monetary donations to Catholic Charities, they can be made online at ccaosa.org.  Money is also used to help supply immigration attorneys so that the asylum seekers can receive fair representation.  Another organization to help through volunteering or donating is Southwest Good Samaritan Ministries.  You can also volunteer.  And, last week, we spoke with Team Brownsville, a grassroots volunteer group.  You can contact them at:  Team Brownsville on Facebook.  In addition, Good Neighbor Settlement House provides overnight housing if their bus or plane is not leaving until the next day, so that they don’t have to sleep in the bus station.  In addition, Team Brownsville has an  Amazon Wish List for needed supplies and you can donate money to Team Brownsville’s Go Fund Me page.

Another BIG way to help is by contacting your representatives and letting them know that you want everyone to receive proper due process, which is, apparently, not happening for those seeking asylum.  And the biggest thing you can do is educate yourself about the severe danger in the countries that families are fleeing from.  

Kristin Wright

Dr. Mara with a sneak peek into her book, The Passionate Life: Creating Vitality & Joy at Any Age, and a discussion of “beginner’s mind” – it’s a good thing to have.  

And MORE!

Listen to the podcast right HERE!