Kindness through Service

Kindness in words creates confidence.
Kindness in thinking creates profoundness.
Kindness in giving creates love.
― Lao-Tzu, philosopher

One of the synonyms of kindness is generosity.  Giving -- of time, talent or treasure -- is not just about being generous.  It's about reaching out and connecting with others.

I had not really thought about service as kindness, but when we first embarked on our kindness journey, I asked some friends of my children for ideas. (That was when I was worried that we would not find enough kind things to do.  Silly me!)  A wise-beyond-her-years 10-year-old asked if my children were altar servers (the children who help the priest during Mass).  Yes, I enthusiastically replied.  To which she said, "that's kindness."  So thanks to our wise little friend, my children have been altar serving more than I can usually persuade them to do and I have realized that service is an expression of kindness.

Last week in the daily Oprah newsletters that arrive via e-mail, there was an article, "6 Ways to Give Back Without Leaving Your Couch."  I am not sure whether it was our  kindness project or my desire to not leave the house for a while after the end-of-school madness that had me click through to the article. But whatever the motivation, I read with great interest about an organization called Catchafire.  Catchafire pairs individuals interested in donating their expertise with organizations that need their assistance.  I was very impressed not only with the purpose of the organization, but also with its website and the professionalism of its staff.  Thanks to Catchafire, I spent more than an hour yesterday helping an organization several states away from the comfort of my desk chair.  Whether you are interested in donating some time or just learning about an organization doing great work, I encourage you to check out www.catchafire.org.