The Kindness of Being "Pendiente"

"Compassion may be defined as the capacity to be attentive to the experience of others, to wish the best for others, and to sense what will truly serve others."
~ Joan Halifax

I tried to find the English translation of the Spanish "pendiente," but there seems to be none.  In fact, one of the on-line dictionaries I consulted admitted there was no direct translation, and offered "attentive" and "keeping an eye on..." as being close.

In the absence of a spot-on translation, I will put forth that being "pendiente" of someone is keeping in mind what is going on and important to that person and letting her know that she matters to you.  When I read the quote about compassion above, I thought that came close.

I experienced the kindness of having friends be "pendiente" of me at the tail end of a recent business trip that took me to Central America.  On my last day of the trip, I woke up to a series of text messages that ranged from wishing me a safe flight to asking me at what time my flight was for prayer purposes.  As I read the messages, I thought, how nice to have people be "pendiente" of me.  Those kindnesses made me feel thought of and loved, and they were especially appreciated as I was far from home.