Resolve to Make a Difference!
The last half of the 2011 just flew by. It’s a little hard to believe 2012 is already here. However, here we are, the first day of 2012 and lots of us are making resolutions on what to correct this year. I’m not. Not that I don’t need to make some changes, or make a correction to move forward, I might. But making these kinds of resolutions can fill you up with regret, saying “I’m not going to do that again!” Instead, I am resolving, as I do every year, to make a difference. A small difference, a big difference, doesn’t matter, just make some kind of positive difference.
I always use this morning to reflect on the positive! Yes, I make a big “to-do” list. I need one. So, I can smile when I cross something off of it. Big or small, we all make differences every day.
I invite you to use 2012 to do your part.
Just before the holiday season began, I returned from working in Japan. Amazing trip! The main purpose of this journey was to bring education and support to children living in a variety of settings including orphanages for survivors of the Tsunami. The devastating events of the Tsunami have created an even greater need to bring nurturing touch to Japan.
This year’s overseas outreach was slightly different. Instead of bringing international Liddle Kidz Foundation volunteers overseas, I trained local Japanese volunteers to use the information, and continue to share in their communities. The volunteer group was comprised of Japanese therapists who attended infant and pediatric massage certification courses with Liddle Kidz Foundation last year, and received further education in working with these specific populations.
I was lucky enough to have a fantastic translator who helped me to convey all of the education to not only the volunteers, but also the children’s caregivers. This was very interesting at times. There were times when the translator may have been busy, and my volunteers knew limited english. Not to mention my more than limited Japanese. However, something special happened. The communication took place perfectly when I used the power of touch. When I would show a technique and not even need to speak about it, everyone got it. The volunteers got it, the caregivers got it and the children felt it. I know this from working in other countries, however, I am always amazed by the true power of touch. Not only did the techniques become conveyed so easily, the emotion was real. It was raw and on the surface. You could feel the children’s distress, the caregiver’s compassion, and through nurturing touch the connection was created.
Tina Allen, Liddle Kidz Foundation, demonstrating pediatric massage techniques during volunteer outreach to Japanese Orphans in Tokyo, Japan
At the end of one caregiver training session, a woman came to me, and started to thank me. The words didn’t really come out, but the heart did. She cried and I hugged her. We stood there in an embrace until I felt she had released what she needed too. It was more than 3 minutes before we let go. It was powerful! The work is powerful! The caregivers now feel more powerful! The children feel more powerful!
Nurturing touch and communication create power in our hearts and minds enabling us to do things that might otherwise seem impossible.
Thank you to the Japanese volunteers who continue to make this program possible. You are the heart of this program. Your nurturing touch and education will be felt far beyond our years. I feel honored to call you tomodachi.
Through these global outreach missions, we know providing hands-on care with compassion and love will have lifelong impact in creating hopeful futures for the children reducing their trauma and instill hopes for a better future!
Thank you to Massage Therapy Foundation, Massage Warehouse and One Concept for your support of our continued efforts to bring nurturing touch to the children of the world.