The Kindness of a Donut Saved

"It is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all."
~ Laura Ingalls Wilder

Donuts are in high demand at my house, but I rarely buy them because after all, who really needs to eat a donut?  But somehow, a box found its way to our kitchen.  As our babysitter was leaving our house one evening, she told my son, "Make sure you save me a donut."  He said he would, but I did not think too much about it.  A couple of hours later as I tidied up the kitchen, I saw that my son had written on a napkin that a donut needed to be saved for the babysitter and had covered the box with the napkin.  I later overhead him telling his siblings that they had to save a donut for her.  Given his penchant for all things sweet, I know it was a sacrifice for him to keep his promise.

Kindness and Magic Bars

"All you need is love.  But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt."
~ Charles M. Schulz

For years, one of my favorite desserts has been something that seems to pop up at holiday time.  Some people call it Magic Bar; others call it Seven-Layer Cookie.  Whatever the name, this delicious concoction has a graham cracker crust and then layers that include condensed milk, chocolate chips and shredded coconut.  Cooked brownie-style in a pan, it is then cut up into small squares or rectangles.

To my delight, Magic Bars were one of the desserts at a holiday party I recently attended.  I mentioned to one of the servers how much I enjoy them -- although she easily could have figured that out based on how many I ate.  To my surprise, as I was leaving, the caterer told me to wait and then handed me a sizable slab of un-cut Magic Bars.  I felt I had just been handed a gold bar!

Kindness on a Sad and Rainy Day

"The purpose of human life is to serve, and to show compassion and the will to help others."
~Albert Schweitzer

The day of my friend's funeral service was gray and rainy.  But I somehow did not take an umbrella with me.  When I parked at the church, a gentleman with a large umbrella came to my car to walk me in.  I thanked him and asked him if he worked at the church or the school.  No, he replied, but his wife worked at the school.  I later saw her among the administrators who were closest to my friend.

Most of the time when we are trying to accompany loved ones as they mourn, there is little that we can do.  This gentleman decided to help whom he could.  And those of us who benefitted from his umbrella were very grateful.

Kindness and Car Service

"People are basically the same the world over.  Everybody wants the same things -- to be happy, to be healthy, to be at least reasonably prosperous, and to be secure.  They want friends, peace of mind, good family relationships, and hope that tomorrow is going to be even better than today."
~Zig Ziglar

I love the folks at the service department where I take my car.  Over the years, they have extended numerous kindnesses.  The most recent one was on a Friday evening.  As I drove to pick up one of my children from an after-school activity, a warning light turned on on the dashboard saying that I had "very low" tire pressure.  It was nearly 6 pm, which is when the car service department at the dealership closes.  I tried calling, but could not get through to anyone, so I quickly drove there, arriving minutes before 6 pm.  Nearly everyone was gone.  I explained what happened to the one service advisor left and he immediately called a remaining mechanic to take a look.  The mechanic drove off with my car and returned a few minutes later.  He told me that all the tires were low on air, so he filled them all and I was good to go.  No charge.  Peace of mind: priceless.

The Kindness of an Imperceptible Gesture

"Remember that a gesture of friendship, no matter how small, is always appreciated."
~ H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

On my way out of a restaurant with two business colleagues, one of them pointed out a step down that was easy to miss.  "Watch your step," she said and put her hand momentarily under my elbow.  An almost imperceptible -- but incredibly thoughtful -- gesture.

Kindness at the Grocery Store

"That best portion of a man's life, his little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and love."
~ William Wordsworth

The other night, I found myself at the grocery store when I would have rather been already at home at the end of a long day.  When I tried to find a cashier, the lines were pretty long at all of the lanes.  Just then, I saw the store manager walk by and I asked him if he would consider opening another cashier lane.  Sure enough, a couple of minutes later, one of the cashiers walked up to me and told me she was opening up #5.  I was delighted to be able to leave just a little faster and greatly appreciated the manager's kindness.

Kindness -- Like Father, Like Son

"His attentive treatment of her had nothing to do with the presumption that she was weak, and everything to do with the conviction that she was valuable."
~ Angela N. Blount

As I was leaving an event recently, I saw my lovely friend's car pull up to the entrance of the building we had just exited.  "You valet parked the car?" I asked my friend, thinking it curious as we usual park in the lot.  She smiled and said that her husband had gone to get the car.  I watched her husband get out of the car and open all the doors of the car, so that my friend, her mother and their children could all comfortably enter.  And I remembered an evening where his son jumped over a bush in his haste to open my car door.  Chivalry runs deep in that family.