To let go and fall into the arms of silence carries us into the sweetness of surrender. It is to become a master in the humble art of living.

To a doctor, the death (and even impending death) of a patient represents the ultimate professional failure. The problem is that by trying so hard to extend life, doctors can miss the opportunity to be present, compassionately, as their patients make the last, final transition.

We need nurses to be kind. Of course we need nurses to be kind. Thank God at last the person in charge of nurses has said we need nurses to be kind. But if we want kind nurses, we need to work much, much harder to make kinder children, kinder adults, and a kinder world.

The best place to start is often the most challenging -- compassion for ourselves! We are usually our own worst enemy, expecting ourselves to be perfect and being the first to judge and condemn ourselves.

There is a long history here that primes this moment -- a history of learning to identify and relate with life's essence regardless of its form. I haven't always been this sentimentally attuned.

The good news is that you can create a psychological turnaround and increase your ability to cope effectively during a crisis if you work through your challenges with the help of others. One of the most important things you can do is to communicate your feelings to someone.

The more we offer such blessings to ourselves and to others, the more contagious it becomes to water these seeds of kindness and generosity in our own minds and hearts, and in the world around us.

As soon as we enter into silence, there are gifts that renew and strengthen our essential selves. These gifts are qualities that enlighten and bring real joy. I call these qualities "muscles of the heart."

Love became my "true north" -- my guiding principle for acting from my highest and best self. When I am confused and upset, I need something simple and easy to remember. So my "guiding question" in a tough moment is: "What would love do?"

I've heard it said that when we are going through something challenging, it's best to put ourselves in intensive care, that is, our own good care. And here's how you do that.

The point C.S. Lewis makes in The Four Loves is that closing our heart to the risk of heartbreak creates a living hell. The truth is that while heartbreak is extremely painful, it is not nearly as painful as the hell we create for ourselves when we hold back loving out of our fear of getting hurt.

To me, if you want to perform your best, love, compassion, spirit, and concern for others are absolutely essential, and here's why: They don't require deliberate thought. They are the byproduct of consciousness.