When one reaches out to help another he touches the face of God. ~ Walt Whitman
No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted. ~ Aesop
I stepped outside early this morning. My neighbor was washing a car. I said, “Good morning.” In the course of our brief conversation I learned she was washing her brother’s car and then she was going to take it to get the car’s state inspection. Her brother has cancer. What a doubly kind act on her part. She was a good example for me. When someone is hurting, it’s time to reach out a hand. Most often all it takes is a bit of our time. Reach out.
The ultimate test of your greatness is the way you treat every human being. ~ Pope John Paul II
James Agee
Sure on this shining night
Of star made shadows round,
Kindness must watch for me
This side the ground.
The late year lies down the north.
All is healed, all is health.
High summer holds the earth.
Hearts all whole.
Sure on this shining night I weep for wonder wand’ring far
alone
Of shadows on the stars.
Great people create great acts of kindness. ~ Miguel de Cervantes
Most of us will never make headlines. Most of the good we do will go unnoticed. It doesn’t matter, Each of our small acts of kindness makes a difference for somebody. Today, when I leaving the gym, one of the front desk workers was leaving at the same time. I said to her as we passed, “I hope you have the best day ever.” She looked at me and said, “I hope so.” I responded, “You deserve it.” She squeezed my hand and that was it. I wondered what was going on in her life. I didn’t know. I knew she needed a good day. I hope she got one.
Sometimes our light goes out but is blown into flame by another human being. Each of us owes deepest thanks to those who have rekindled this light. ~ Albert Schweitzer
NOTE: It’s a human experience to get knocked down. Most times we can bounce back. Every once in a while it’s tough to bounce back and you wonder if it is all worth it. Then, in moments of deepest despair something happens. Something you didn’t expect. It might occur in the form of a call, a text or an email. It might be a colleague or supervisor stepping into your space. Everything changes in that moment. It is as if new life was breathed into you. Some may call these moments miracles or grace or luck. It happens. I’ve had a number of them in my life. I didn’t see them coming, they kicked down my door and walked in. I’ve learned, we have the power within us to be the source of new life for other people. A kind word, a kind action, the simple act of listening thoughtfully all carry the power of infusing new life into another.
When Christmas bells are swinging above the fields of snow,
We hear sweet voices ringing from lands of long ago.
And etched on vacant places,
Are half forgotten faces
Of friends we used to cherish, and loves we used to know –
When Christmas bells are swinging above the fields of snow.
Uprising from the ocean of the present surging near,
We see, with strange emotion that is not free from fear,
That continent Elysian
Long vanished from our vision,
Youth’s lovely lost Atlantis, so mourned for and so dear,
Uprising from the ocean of the present surging near.
When gloomy gray Decembers are roused to Christmas mirth,
The dullest life remembers there once was joy on earth,
And draws from youth’s recesses
Some memory it possesses,
And, gazing through the lens of time, exaggerates its worth,
When gloomy gray December is roused to Christmas mirth.
When hanging up the holly or mistletoe, I wis
Each heart recalls some folly that lit the world with bliss.
Not all the seers and sages
With wisdom of the ages
Can give the mind such pleasure as memories of that kiss
When hanging up the holly or mistletoe, I wis.
For life was made for loving, and love alone repays,
As passing years are proving for all of Time’s sad ways.
There lies a sting in pleasure,
And fame gives shallow measure,
And wealth is but a phantom that mocks the restless days,
For life was made for loving, and only loving pays.
When Christmas bells are pelting the air with silver chimes,
And silences are melting to soft, melodious rhymes,
Let Love, the worlds beginning,
End fear and hate and sinning;
Let Love, the God Eternal, be worshipped in all climes
When Christmas bells are pelting the air with silver chimes.
“Be the reason someone smiles. Be the reason someone feels loved and believes in the goodness in people.” ~ Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart
NOTE: We are not powerless. We have an unlimited source of power that can change people’s lives for the better. Offer a warm smile to all you meet today. You’ll see frowns and worried expressions return your smile. For a moment, you’ll have made someone forget his/her worries. A simple act of kindness lets someone know he/she is loved. It lets a person know there is love in our world. In return you get a wonderful reward, someone’s smile, someone’s eyes saying thank you. Yes, we are power-filled. Use your power to light the world.
