Kindness and Compliments

“I am suggesting that as we go through life, we ‘accentuate the positive.’  I am asking that we look a little deeper for the good, that we still our voices of insult and sarcasm, that we more generously compliment and endorse virtue and effort.”

~ Gordon B. Hinckley

At a lunch with several friends recently, another woman who knew one of us stopped by our table to say hello.  She was very friendly and complimented one of the women at the table on her eyes.  After the lunch, one of my friends walked out with this woman, who told her that she had a nice smile.  How wonderful to go through life saying positive things to others!

Kindness and More Kindness

“My religion is very simple.  My religion is kindness.”

~ Dalai Lama

I recently met a colleague who works overseas.  He shared that he was going to be spending several weeks in the States to help his mother who would be recovering from surgery.  I told him how wonderful it was that he was doing that for his mother and I said that I was sure his mother appreciated it more than he could imagine.  He shrugged it off and told me that he felt very blessed that he worked for an organization that enabled him to do that.  He said that when he emailed his boss to ask if he could take off several weeks from work to care for his mother, his boss replied “of course” in less than three minutes.  

Kindness on a Flight

“Wherever there is a human being, there is an opportunity for a kindness.”

~ Lucius Annaeus Seneca

I was boarding a flight recently behind an older couple; they appeared to be in their late 70s or early 80s.  When they arrived at their seats, another passenger, a young man, asked them if they needed help stowing their luggage and lifted their bags into the overhead compartment.

The Kindness of Asking if We Need Help

“The purpose of human life is to serve, and to show compassion and the will to help others.”

~ Albert Schweitzer

It’s not always easy to ask for help because it can feel as though we are imposing on the other person.  But some people make things easier.  One of my dearest mom friends stepped in to help me with my children when I recently traveled for work.  And before I could ask for her help again, she asked me if I needed her.

The Kindness of a Prayer

“Dear Father, please hold me in your loving arms, and see me safely home.”

~ RC

A woman I know is not the world’s bravest air traveler.  She gets nervous whenever she takes a flight.  As she waited at the airport for a flight recently, a friend of hers texted her the quote above and told her that that is what he prays each time he travels as the plane takes off.  The woman said her friend’s prayer as the flight was taking off and then several times during the flight.  It gave her a sense of calm.

Kindness and Hospitality

“True hospitality is marked by an open response to the dignity of each and every person.  Henri Nouwen has described it as receiving the stranger on his own terms, and asserts that it can be offered only by those who ‘have found the center of their lives in their own hearts.’”

~ Kathleen Norris

During a recent week of business meetings, local colleagues volunteered to host out-of-town, mostly overseas, colleagues at their homes for dinner.  Two of my colleagues and I were treated to a wonderful evening with a local colleague’s three-generational family.  The dinner that our colleague prepared was delicious, and spending time with members of her family was a special treat.

The Kindness of Patience

"Patience is not simply the ability to wait -- it's how we behave while we're waiting."

~ Joyce Meyer

On a recent business trip, I was supposed to meet two colleagues at our hotel to then go elsewhere for a work dinner. I got caught up in late afternoon meetings at our office and realized that I would not be back at the hotel on time. I called one of my colleagues, told her that I was running late and said that they should go on without me. Absolutely not, my colleague said. I walked as fast as I could, but I was lugging a heavy bag with my laptop inside. When I arrived at the hotel lobby, my colleague asked me if I wanted to run up to my room and drop off my extra things. I was incredibly grateful for her patience and goodwill.