The Challenge of Love -- Kindness

“Even a little child can scatter flowers, to scent the throne room with their fragrance; even a little child can sing, in its shrill treble, the great canticle of Love.  That will be my life: to scatter flowers – to miss no single opportunity of making some small sacrifice, here by a smiling look, there by a kindly word, always doing the tiniest thing right, and doing it for love.”

~ St. Therese of Lisieux

Today is the feast of St. Therese of Lisieux.  Therese’s legacy to us is her Little Way – she was determined to do even the smallest things with love.  This included, for example, trying to find the best in annoying people and attempting to be kind when it would be easier not to be.

In every moment, we have the opportunity to respond in love – to the person in front of us, to the situation, to our own reactions…  What would our lives be like if we decided to show love in every situation?  Or even in most of them?  That would be the ultimate in kindness. 

The Kindness of an Offered Seat

“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

A mom friend of mine was traveling with her two children but without her husband.  The two children were seated together with a young woman next to them.  One of the children was visibly unhappy to be sitting without her mother.  The young woman noticed and offered her seat to my mom friend, so that the mom could sit with her children.  It may have been a minor inconvenience to the young woman, but for my friend and her daughter, the generous gesture went a long way toward calming frayed nerves.

Kindness, Joy and Connection

“Joy is prayer; joy is strength; joy is love; joy is a net of love by which you can catch souls.”

~ Mother Teresa

A mom I know was on vacation and in her hotel room with her two children when the housekeeper knocked on the door.  The mother answered the door and before she could say anything, the housekeeper said, “I speak very little English – I speak French.”  The mother dusted off her college French and told the housekeeper that she could speak a little French.  The housekeeper gave her a huge smile and a double high five. They spoke in French as they changed out the towels and emptied the trash cans.  The housekeeper shared that she had come from West Africa just a few months before with her four children.  She showed the other mother photos of her children and her husband, who had arrived in the U.S. several years earlier.  The mother introduced her two children to the housekeeper and the children greeted the housekeeper in French.  Before she left, the housekeeper double high-fived the mom again and they shared a hug.  The mom thought it was a great start to her day and I imagine the housekeeper did, too.

Kindness at Starbuck’s

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

~  Lucius Annaeus Seneca

Due to an unexpected bridge closing, I found myself unable to get to my desk and so I opted to charge my phone and regroup at a Starbuck’s.  It was very crowded when I arrived and it was not easy to find an available electrical outlet.  I finally found one and asked a young man sitting closer to it that I was if he would mind plugging in my phone.  Not at all, he said with a smile, and then offered to move over, so that I could have a seat.

Kindness and an Opened Door

“No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.”

~ Aesop

The other day I was running to my car in the rain.  My passenger had made it to the car before me and was already in the front seat.  As I approached my car, she opened the driver's side door so that I could get in easier.  Even the smallest kindness matters.

The Kindness of an Extra Dessert

“Unless generosity of spirit prevails among men, there can never be upon earth an ideal life.”

~  Orison Swett Marden

The other day, I had lunch at a restaurant with a small group of family and friends to celebrate a birthday.  The food was delicious and we had all eaten more than we intended, so when it was time for dessert, we decided to order a piece of pie to share.  In addition to the pie, the server brought a piece of cake courtesy of the owner, who said that one dessert was not enough for all of us.

Birthday Kindness

“A gift consists not in what is done or given, but in the intention of the giver or doer.”

~  Lucius Annaeus Seneca

A teenager I know was having a birthday.  Her younger brother decided that he would help decorate, so he made paper garland and a big Happy Birthday sign.  He also made copies of a photo of his sister’s face and placed them around their home.