Compassion

“Compassion is the emotion that one feels in response to the suffering of others that motivates a desire to help.” — Wikipedia

I have a brick and mortar travel agency. We’re not on a main thoroughfare and I’m not always sure how people find us. We’ve been in the same location for 30 years so I’m not surprised, yet always grateful, for the local residents that know us or have been referred by friends.

I’m very curious when someone new walks in my door. I’ve seen an increasing number of clients who are not native to the area. I ask a lot of questions and find people want to share. The stories are amazing and a constant reminder that everyone has a story if we’ll just give them a moment to tell it. In the past month, I’ve met young men from Afghanistan who were going home to bring back the brides they had to leave behind in their war torn country. Three men from Nepal were in and their faces lit up with joy when I asked them questions about their homeland. We had a good laugh when I almost sent them to the wrong city in Texas because of Houston sounded like Austin with their accents! A young lady who recently immigrated from Mexico shared the horror of having her mother and son kidnapped earlier in the year. They were beaten and held for ransom. The kidnappers assumed she was rich now that she lived in the United States. Fortunately, she was able to move her son to the U.S. a few months later.

Wow! My life is a little richer with each person I meet. Thank you for being In Kellie’s World today!