Jesus taught us to "Love thy neighbour, as thyself". Most of us learned this early in our lives, maybe at our local Sunday schools. It was also expected that we to try to live our lives, from then on, in this manner.

The Buddhist philosophy is the same as the Christian one, to show Compassion and Loving Kindness to others. Both wonderfully the same concept, however for most of us do they just remain concepts in our heads and in our daily lives? Or do we actually act upon them?

When my husband and I chose to retire to Bermuda, we moved to what we consider a truly exquisite sweet part of the island, Salt Kettle, in Paget Parish. During the 1980"s, while we were living in Canada, we had spent many a short vacation away from the stress of our busy business lives and the demands of life with our four young children, holidaying happily in Salt Kettle.

So, when we returned on a permanent basis, we choose to rent and set up our home in Salt Kettle. And what a truly wonderful little community it has turned out to be!

However, little did I know that we would have an added real bonus in a neighbour living just across the road from us. Her name is Hazel and she has been the owner for thirty or so years of a wonderful little guest house. Hazel and her late husband, I understand, settled here after living for a number of years in Africa.

When we arrived at our newly rented home there wasn"t even a mug or spoon in our kitchen! So I walked over to Hazel's and she loaned us far more than we needed.

A true act of welcome and loving kindness. Soon I began to notice that Hazel's guest house lawn was always overflowing with guests in the early evenings. Hazel often joined her guests to watch the sunset, usually with some special little treats she had prepared for them.

One evening we were having dinner at our new home when the sound of Scottish bagpipes filled the air. In Bermuda I have discovered there is often some delicious surprise awaiting around the corner!

Not sure of what was happening, I followed the sounds of the bagpipe music to Hazel's place. Sure enough, on Hazel's lawn was a large group of people with a very handsome well-groomed older gentleman sitting in the centre of this circle of attentive friends.

I asked Hazel what the occasion was and she told me that it was her dear friend's 85th Birthday. She said that for the last 14 years, she had each year held a birthday party for him. He now lived in a nursing home and she enjoyed spoiling him.

She told me that when her husband had been alive and sick for many years, and then dying; that her old friend had come over every Sunday afternoon to spend a few hours with her very sick husband. She said to me, "Jeanie, I can never forget that, my friend was a very kind gentleman to my husband and now it is my turn to return his kindness in some small way".

She told me, as she looked at me with that very kind and penetrating stare of hers that, "The only thing in life we can do, is to be kind".

Her words, so simple and direct, struck a cord in my heart, "Kindness to one another". What a simple concept! And one that is so easy to act upon in the moment, each moment! It has been said, that actions speak louder than words.

I have been told many times in my life that we don"t teach with our words, only with our actions. So I feel that more mindful actions and less mindless words would make the world a kinder place in which to live. Thank you, dear Hazel, for being here in Bermuda to teach me once again that wonderful concept of loving kindness with your kind actions.

The Mindfulness Practice Community of Bermuda meets weekly for meditations, mindful teachings and mindful actions. We all need help and support to live an aware life please join us e-mail iamhomeibl.bm or call 236-4988 for more information.