This morning I watched a well-known female television personality admit to smoking during her third pregnancy. As the news report unfolded, I clasped my hands over my mouth. ‘What a selfish, unloving thing to do to your child,’ I thought. Then I saw the emotion she displayed as she told of her struggle to give up smoking. Now, THIS was something I could understand. I had seen my husband go through the same struggle, even after a life changing wake-up call. She was so honest about her battle that tears came to my eyes.

It occurred to me that every single person on this planet has struggled with something in life. ‘But I would never do what she did,’ you may say. Well – maybe not, but have you ever done something you know is wrong? Have you ever done something unloving that has affected someone else? I know I have. I know most of us have. I know that not one of us is perfect.

If you think back to the struggles you have faced in your life, did you find the strength to overcome them through the judgment and condemnation of others? Sure, this may have been a part of the initial wake-up call, but if you are like me, once you admitted your wrongdoing, what you really needed was kindness, understanding, and most importantly – HELP.

I believe that this celebrity will overcome this addition, because she is humble, and knows she must. I am certain that she will get the help she needs. I just hope that she also gets the compassion she (and all of us) deserve.

In this human experience, we all require forgiveness. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

In the interest of finishing this blog on a lighter note: here is a video of my dog, Noodle. He is the perfect dog; loving, obedient, faithful, and happy – except for one thing – Toilet Paper. The desire to attack the roll has been Noodle’s undoing ever since he was a puppy. It is something he knows is bad, but cannot help but do. He still struggles with this. We keep the toilet paper behind barriers.

I hope you get a giggle out of this, and realise that, although there is a big difference between the playful antics of a puppy, and the seriousness of addition, our willingness to show compassion is just the same.