This post is about how important being kind to others is in our lives.
In reading about a current environmental disaster and the people who have been hurt by it, I cannot help but be grateful for what I have and to give what I can. When we are reminded how temporal life really is, it becomes clear that each moment counts and every act of kindness is crucial.
I vividly remember during Hurricane Katrina, talking with a friend from Baton Rouge who had opened up his office building to others for survival. It was being used as part hospital, part shelter for the homeless, and as a communications hub, since he had an 800 number that was working. He and his family had been without power for four days. Fortunately, his relatives in New Orleans got out of the city just in time before Katrina hit, but they had no idea what shape their homes were in. Friends and family alike welcomed them into their homes and offered any assistance they needed if they’d lost their home.
It also doesn’t require a big disaster to bring out the best in people. Last mid-December, I was headed into the post office with an armload of packages. Stopping at the entrance door, I couldn’t figure out how I was going to free a hand up to open the door. But, within a second, a kindly gentlemen opened the door for me and wished me a Merry Christmas. That simple act of kindness changed my day.
We rarely know what little things we’ve done that help another person. It’s in the spirit of our giving that the true benefit occurs. Try giving from your heart this week. If you can give to a current disaster relief fund, don’t wait. If you can give to other people to lift their burdens, don’t hesitate. We are all in this together, and even the smallest gift benefits all of us.
I hope you too are inspired by these words of Ruth Smeltzer: “You have not lived a perfect day, even though you have earned your money, unless you have done something for someone who will never be able to repay you.”
Kathleen