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My Daily Musings-Feb.19th, 2026

On Sunday, my family was chatting online like we usually do. My dad asked us a question that has stayed with me all week: What things have brought you success in your life?

We talked about many things, but one theme kept rising to the surface—kindness. Kindness to others. Kindness to ourselves. Sympathy. Empathy.

My husband said something that really struck me: We should be kind because everyone is fighting their own battle. That thought alone could change the way we speak, respond, and show up for one another.

My sister asked an important question: What is the difference between sympathy and empathy? I looked it up. Sympathy is “feeling for” someone—saying, I see that you’re hurting. Empathy is “feeling with” someone—saying, I feel your pain, and then sitting beside them in it.

That difference feels small in wording but powerful in practice.

When someone I love is hurting, do I try to fix it—or do I sit with them in it?
How can I practice more empathy in my daily conversations?

I want to choose empathy more often. I want to be someone who doesn’t rush past pain or try to tidy it up with quick words, but instead stays. Listens. Holds space. Truly feels with.

And maybe as we sit with others in their hard moments, we build the kind of relationships where, when our own hard days come, someone will sit with us too.

Sometimes the greatest success in life isn’t what we achieve—it’s how deeply we love.

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