I have a new favorite verb: nurture. It derives from the Latin words meaning to cherish and feed.
Last night, I see my great friend at a concert, and she looks absolutely radiant. She’s a completely different woman from the one I experienced earlier in the week. Just two days ago, she was stressed out, exhausted, and so overwhelmed that her whole being showed it.
But not this night.
She tells me that something happened that changed everything. It was a small thing, really.
Just this: Her husband packed her lunch, brought her coffee, and delivered Christmas donuts to her office.
This few minutes of nurturing her–cherishing her and feeding her–soothed everything. She found renewed energy and encouragement.
All night, I think about how, during the holidays, caregivers spend all day long nurturing everyone else around them. They experience stress, fatigue, and discouragement. But when someone nurtures them, even in small ways, the load lightens.
Someone needs to nurture the nurturer. I’m thinking about this as I walk around town. Is there a way I can nurture a nurturer I know, especially during this special season?