Saturday, June 21, 2014

The Kindness of Presence and Special Effort

"The best effort of a fine person is felt after we have left their presence."
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Last month, my son made his First Communion.  I was touched by many things ranging from the ceremony to the many kindnesses of family and friends.  Among those that stood out was the presence of a dear friend of mine's father.  Although he had lost his wife less than two months before, he joined us for the occasion.  I knew that it could not have been easy for him, but there he was.

I was thinking about this as I was helping my son with his thank you notes for the gifts he received.  When it came time to do the one for my friend's father, my son -- who does not like to speak Spanish (mostly because he finds it challenging) -- insisted on writing part of the note in Spanish.  (My friend's father speaks both languages, but we usually speak to him in Spanish.)  I think my son, at some level, understood the incredible kindness of this gentleman and wanted to acknowledge it with his own small, but special effort.

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