Kindness and a Teen

“Kindness is always fashionable, and always welcome.”

~ Amelia Barr

On a recent evening, I observed a smartly dressed teen hold a restaurant door for a waitress who was coming back inside the restaurant with a stack of dirty plates.  The waitress was surprised, but grateful.

The Kindness of Support

"Surround yourself with people who provide you with support and love and remember to give back as much as you can in return."
~ Karen Kain

My lovely friend is not only a dear friend, but also a professional colleague.  Recently, I was organizing a meeting for a group that she is a part of.  She very thoughtfully texted me to see if I needed any help, talked several things through with me before the meeting and then did a post-event debrief.  Needless to say, I felt very supported.

The Kindness of "Peace of Heart"

"Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."
~ Philippians 4:7

The other day, I was sharing with someone a particular harrowing experience during recent international travel (severe turbulence while seated in the rear of an airplane!).  Although I don't know her well, this woman graciously told me to text her the next time that I take a flight, so that she can pray for me.  She said that she would pray for me to have "peace of heart."  I was thrilled to have someone else pray for me -- one can never enjoy too many prayers -- but I also was touched by her thoughtfulness and by the idea of "peace of heart." 

The Kindness of Communicated Thoughtfulness

"Try to make at least one person happy every day.  If you cannot do a kind deed, speak a kind word.  If you cannot speak a kind word, think a kind thought.  Count up, if you can, the treasure of happiness that you would dispense in a week, in a year, in a lifetime!"
~ Rev.  Lawrence G. Lovasik

I recently traveled overseas with a group of students and a couple of other mothers.  A week after we returned, one of the mothers texted me to say that she was making dinner from a recipe that we had learned how to make on our  trip and she thought about me.  We frequently think of others, but unless we tell them, they don't know.  And it's nice to be remembered.

The Kindness of Attentiveness

"Compassion may be defined as the capacity to be attentive to the experience of others, to wish the best for others, and to sense what will truly serve others."
~ Joan Halifax

I recently attended a baby shower at someone's house.  When I walked in, everyone was seated in chairs arranged in a circle.  I knew most of the people there, but not well.  One of the women I knew asked if I wanted to join her where there were a couple of empty seats as there was no seat next to where she was sitting.  I gladly accepted her thoughtful offer and marveled at how attentive some people can be.

The Kindness of Sharing the Music

"Music is the divine way to tell beautiful poetic things to the heart."
~ Pablo Casals

My children play at a "strings jam" every weekend.  Their violin teacher hosts a group of her students as well as other local music teachers at a local cafe where they play for an hour or so.  On a recent Saturday, I saw one of the adult music teachers whom we don't know patiently teach a song to my son.  Then I saw him work with his nephew and teach him a song, too. 

The Kindness of Humor in a Correction

"You may not be able to change a situation, but with humor you can change your attitude about it."
~ Allen Klein

One of my colleagues sent me an email recently.  It began, "Not to freak you out or anything..."  She went on to tell me that in an email I had sent to another colleague, I had written to the woman using her last name (which could be a man's name) as her first name.  That is the kind of thing that I feel very badly about, but because my colleague began her email the way she did, I actually burst out laughing.  And then I wrote to the person whose name I had botched and apologized.  I was doubly grateful to my colleague -- thankful for the correction as well as for her humor, which I found contagious.