Kindness

“I expect to pass through this world but once; any good thing therefore that I can do, or any kindness that I can show to any fellow creature, let me do it now; let me not defer or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again.”
{Stephan Grellet}

Above every other quality, I value and treasure kindness. A person who takes the time to help, to listen, to show they care? That is the kind of person I admire; that is the quality of character to which I aspire.

The oil of Kindness smoothes over rough patches. The balm of Kindness soothes cross words.

 

Kindness is in our power, even when fondness is not.
{Samuel Johnson}

We all need kindness. This world is rough; Life is tough. The Road is hard and bumpy. We trip and fall, get up and limp along with grazed knees, bruised shins, bleeding palms. Does anybody notice? In the busyness of life, how easy it is to pass by on the other side. I've done it, we all have.

But how rare and beautiful, how remarkable and precious is the act of kindness that stops and takes the time to comfort and give help. Kindness is precious and rare, valuable beyond words.

If you want others to be happy, practice compassion.
If you want to be happy, practice compassion.
{Dalai Lama}

 

Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.
{Plato}

 

I want to express my thanks to a very kind person. This woman lives in another country. She has her own struggles, sheds her own tears; her life is not without pain.  

 

But when she heard of my daughter's struggle, her newly carved path discovering a Gluten-free life, this lovely person, not well known to me, reached out and sent kindness across the sea in a package. A package of treats, delicious goodies to cheer my little girl's heart and encourage her that others share her journey. The package arrived on a day where I was low, ill and tired, sad and feeling a little sorry for myself.

 

This package of kindness landed on my doorstep with a thump and a slam of the courier's door. Not expecting anything, I opened my front door and saw the box, the postmark, the return address. My heart swelled with gratitude. I was overcome by "the kindness of strangers". But strangers no more.

 

An act of kindness links hearts. An act of kindness builds bridges. Now when I think of this lovely generous kind hearted woman, I think Friend. Thankyou Leonie. Your kindness brightened our week. May the blessing you shared with us come back your way in brimming bucketfuls. xx

 

How far that little candle throws his beams!
So shines a good deed in a naughty world.
{William Shakespeare, Merchant of Venice}

 
So, Kindness. I have been thinking about kindness. How powerful, how redeeming, how enriching is an act of kindness. It is my goal and my highest aim, but I do not always live by the Law of Kindness. Too often selfishness blinkers my eyes and a desire-to-be-right flings arguments from my tongue.
 

A soft answer turns away wrath.

Turn the other Cheek.

Love your neighbour as yourself.

{The Bible}

 
I know it by heart, but I don't always take it to heart. I look for kindness but I don't always give it. Sometimes my impatience to complete tasks causes me to get impatient with little people and their demands. Sometimes my husband and children feel the sharp edge of my tongue. Sometimes my busyness shrouds the importance of these four most important people; these people who at the end of my life will be the only ones still with me. 

Always be a little kinder than necessary. {James M. Barrie}

I can drift on as normal, ho-hum, life as usual with kindness as a randomly rare commodity... or I can declare a State of Emergency. As in Wartime Britain, a channeling of energies, a restriction on waste. A Focus on Increasing Kindness. All for the Cause! A Kindness Quest is declared in my household.

"Let's look for ways we can be kind to others today," I told the children as they left for school. "Then we can tell our stories at dinnertime of how we were able to be kind..."

Kind to each other. Patient with interruptions. Careful of sharp tones. Generous with time. Gracious with bad drivers and considerate of pedestrians. Turn the other cheek. A soft answer turns away wrath. Love my neighbour as myself.
 
Remembering my Greatest Ally. Remembering that His kindness is new every morning. That when I am in short supply of patience, forgiveness and kindness, His mercy is limitless, His faithfulness reaches to the Skies.

I woke up with this song in my head; He is so much more than Arithmetic...
 


 

 

“To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children...to leave the world a better place...to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.”
{Ralph Waldo Emerson} 

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