A simple humble way to make a difference

Some of Sri Chinmoy's students are doctors and nurses, and we often hear how hospital staff are searching for more courage, strength, endurance and cheerfulness – for the medical staff as well as the patients. So we tried to do our part in our own small way.

Food delivery

When the pandemic was at its worst in New York, some of Sri Chinmoy's students donated money so that our local New York restaurants - Annam Brahma and Smile of the Beyond - could send 15-25 meals to Queens Hospital each day.

The nursing director and also the administrative the director of the emergency ward called every day, in spite of their intense schedule, to express their gratitude on behalf of the emergency room staff. Many did not have time to go to the cafeteria to get food. Often we would tape one of Sri Chinmoy's aphorisms taped onto the mealbox: they said the first time the staff received it and read the aphorism, it was the first time they had seen a smile on their faces.

The restaurant Pranaya in Zlín, Czech Republic also had a very nice experience for a few months sending food for local hospital workers.

Banners of hope

Through our Oneness-Heart-Tears and Smiles service, we are trying some simple humble ways to make a difference. For example, we have prepared banners and posters of different sizes with haiku-like positive affirmations on such topics as Hope, Endurance, Cheerfulness, Positive thoughts, Courage, Compassion, Kindness – all of a universal nature.

Hospitals in Italy

In March, at the height of the spread of Covid-19 in Italy, a message of hope spread throughout the country: “Andrà tutto bene”, meaning “Everything will be alright”. Laura Alongi, our co-ordinator, discovered a poem by Sri Chinmoy that included the English phrase, and created the banner shown here. Banners like these were placed in hospitals all over Italy.

Kind remarks

Some of the remarks we have heard from these posters....

    “Are these for us? Oh…then you love us.
    “It’s just the right message for me”
    “I’m waiting for this message”
    “They are so powerful, I will frame them”
    “It did me a lot of good, Doctor, you cannot understand what they meant to me”

One person applauded spontaneously after reading them. The poems appreciated most by customers were those about hope, smiling, and endurance.

Related pages

• Messages of hope from Portugal