Kindness in Remembrance

"Carry out a random act of kindness, with no expectation of reward, safe in the knowledge that one day someone might do the same for you."
― Princess Diana

I recently had lunch with the daughter of a former boss.  We have a lot in common -- we graduated from the same university, have similar careers...  And she shared a beautiful practice that she began 14 years ago when she was a senior at Georgetown (our alma mater).

She shared that she and her friends were talking about what to give up for Lent as they were going into Ash Wednesday Mass.  But during the Mass, the priest asked the students to think about how blessed they were, and then he made a suggestion that got her going in a different direction.

"He told us to try and spend the next 40 days giving something back," she said.  "It didn't matter how big or small that something was, but try to do something every day.  Some friends took that as a call to arms and started a project or a foundation...  Others, like me, took it as a chance to try to be nicer to people around me.  I did things as small as taking a friend to lunch who was struggling with something to even just donating to whatever cause was at the grocery store.  It didn't matter as long as I was doing something selfless.

"Since 1999, I have done my best to maintain that tradition of giving back.  Some years it is easier than others and sometimes I do just one big thing during the season.  Even today it is still more difficult to give back than to give up, but it feels just as good each year.

"What it has taught me is that while life is not easy and it can sometimes be hard to keep your head up and not get mired in the little things that are bothering you, taking a few moments to help someone or something else brings a new perspective each time.  By taking those moments to think about something other than yourself, you give yourself a moment to look up and look around at what the world has to offer, and that maybe your situation with your boyfriend, fight with your mom, or even that horrible job can be put in better perspective.  Granted, sometimes I only think about it for 40 days a year, but 40 is better than none."

Tomorrow -- September 11th -- is a day to remember how blessed we are and what really matters.  President Obama declared September 6-8 National Days of Prayer and Remembrance.  Maybe we can take a moment to do an act of kindness for someone.  Perhaps our kindness can be our prayer of remembrance.