"No act of kindness,
no matter how small,
is ever wasted."
Aesop
In a world, where glitz, instant fame and social media trending have become actual goals...where selling, and winning and earning seem honored above all else....where what's right often takes a back seat to who's right....and where bigger we're told is better... Yes, in the midst of
this world, it was a gift to sit next to my father on Saturday in the back pew of my childhood church, and absorb the stories being told about a friend of ours. About her life well lived.
As Sue was remembered, there were stories of courage and generosity. Of wisdom and tenacity. There was praise for all she did as a wife, a mother, a friend and a contributing member of whatever community surrounded her. But it was the kindness - the repeated mention of the gestures of kindness from a woman who seemed to know no other way - that stood out above all.
Kindness is a quiet, understated and often invisible quality. I think it's easy to minimize it. To down play it...
oh, anyone can be kind. It's no big deal, really. Sure, I can be kind...but what else can I accomplish? How can I have a broader impact that just little acts of kindness? Oh, kindness. Simple, available-to-every-human-being kindness. How very misunderstood you are.
On Saturday, from the back pew of my childhood church, kindness spoke
boldly through the life of our friend. Kindness announced its presence. Kindness was visible, tangible, noticeable..
.remarkable. As passionately as the wail of the bagpipe filled the old, stone chapel, so the power of kindness penetrated to the depths of our souls. And we were called to remember.
Not only to remember a life.
But to be reminded of a most powerful way of life.
Joining others for
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