Thank you to all for your prayers and good wishes. It gave me

Hear, O children of compassion, the words of Steven Cojocaru, who in the midst of affliction and trial declared with gratitude: “Thank you to all for your prayers and good wishes. It gave me the strength to persevere and warmed my heart.” These words, born not of triumph on a battlefield nor conquest in politics, but of personal suffering, remind us that even in weakness, strength may be found—not always within, but through the love and support of others.

The strength to persevere does not always spring from the lone warrior standing in solitude. Sometimes it is woven from the unseen threads of kindness, the whispered prayer, the heartfelt wish sent by friends, family, and even strangers. Such gestures may seem small, yet to the one enduring hardship, they are mighty. Cojocaru, who faced illness and trials of the body, discovered that the prayers of others became a shield, and their well-wishes became a lamp that kept despair from overtaking him.

The ancients knew this truth. When armies marched to war, they carried not only weapons but also blessings from their people, songs from their villages, and prayers from their temples. These intangible gifts gave them courage when their limbs grew heavy. Consider Alexander Solzhenitsyn, imprisoned in the Siberian gulag. The words of encouragement smuggled from beyond the prison walls gave him the strength to endure, to write, and to resist. He too might have said, as Cojocaru did, that the love and prayers of others warmed his heart and gave him the strength to persevere.

In this, we are reminded that the heart is not sustained by bread alone. It is sustained by connection, by knowing that one is not forgotten. To receive a prayer is to know that another soul carries part of your burden; to receive a good wish is to feel that light is shining on you even in your darkest hour. This is why Cojocaru’s words resonate—they reveal that human beings are bound together, and that in moments of weakness, the strength of many can lift the one.

O listeners, do not underestimate the power of your kindness. A word spoken in love, a prayer uttered in silence, a simple message of hope—these can restore courage to a weary heart. In times of prosperity, such gestures seem small; in times of suffering, they are priceless. To warm the heart of another is to give them strength beyond measure, and in so doing, you participate in their victory over despair.

The lesson is clear: never walk past another’s suffering with indifference. Offer your support, even if only through a word or a prayer. For what may seem like little to you may become the very strength that sustains them through their trial. And when your own time of hardship comes, do not be ashamed to receive the gifts of others. Let their compassion be your armor, their prayers your shield, their love the fire that warms your weary heart.

Practical is this counsel: each day, extend some word of hope to another. Write to the sick, encourage the weary, pray for the troubled, bless those who struggle. And when you yourself are in need, do not retreat into silence—allow others to carry part of your burden. In this way, we weave a tapestry of shared strength, where no one is left to endure alone.

Thus remember the words of Steven Cojocaru: “It gave me the strength to persevere and warmed my heart.” Let them remind you of the hidden power of compassion. For though armies may conquer lands and rulers may shape nations, it is the warmth of the human heart—given and received—that truly sustains life through the hardest storms.