Kindness at the Gas Station

"Encourage, life and strengthen one another.  For the positive energy spread to one will be felt by us all.  For we are connected, one and all."
― Deborah Day

I was pleasantly surprised when I pulled into a gas station today and a woman actually pulled her car out of the way, so that I could pull up my car next to the pump.  We ended up next to each other pumping gas.  "You didn't have to move," I said.  "Oh, I know how it is," she answered.  I thanked her.  After a day of driving in what seemed like madness, it was nice to find kindness at the gas station.

Kindness Among 8-Year-Olds

"Happiness exists on earth, and it is won through prudent exercise of reason, knowledge of the harmony of the universe, and constant practice of generosity."
― José Martí

At a small birthday dinner for a 2nd Grade girl, an eight-year-old boy wanted to sit next to a friend whom he doesn't see every day.  Without being asked, one of the other boys got up and gave the boy his seat.  The first boy's mother thanked the little boy who moved.  The boy who moved did not say a word about what he had done until he saw his mother sit down to write her blog and then he told her that he could help.

Kindness, Friends and Bumpers

"God wants you to live for others and to live that presence well."
― Henri Nouwen

Yesterday, I was reminded of just how fragile life can be and how precious friendship is.  After meeting another mom for yogurt, I was driving home with my children when I was involved in a fender bender.  No one was injured, thank goodness, but I was shaken up.  I called the friend who had just been with me and she came back and stayed for an hour while the paperwork was done.  She entertained my children and made me feel a whole lot better.  When it was time to go, the fender that fell off my car surprisingly did not fit in the back of my car, so she put it in her van.  Later that evening, she texted me to say that she had just gone out to her car and seen my fender again.  It made her smile because earlier when she had told her husband that I had been in an accident and that she was going to where I was, he asked her, "How do you plan on helping?"  She said she was going to offer moral support -- a gift of kindness that was just what I needed.  But as it turns out, I needed her van, too.

The Kindness of Teaching Children Manners

"In my book, all manners are is thinking of somebody else."
―Penelope Keith

The other day, I was at one of my children's schools and a group of six or seven 8th Graders walked by me.  I know most of them, but only one acknowledged me and said hello.  He happens to be the son of a friend of mine and I know that his parents emphasize kindness and courtesy.  Greeting someone is a very basic kindness, which honors the person who is being greeted as well as the greeter.  Kindness begins when we think of the other person.  Parents who teach their children manners are being kind both to their children and to the people with whom their children come into contact.

Kindness and Smiles at School

"The most valuable possession you can own is an open heart.  The most powerful weapon you can be is an instrument of peace."
―Carlos Santana

It was Parent Appreciation Day at one of my children's schools today, which means that the parents visit their children's classrooms and then join their children for an all-school Mass.  One class was singing at the Mass, so the parents were watching them practice.  A woman I know has a son in that class, and was watching him and his classmates practice when she noticed that a little girl who had just been singing very enthusiastically looked very sad.  The little girl seemed as though she was going to cry.  When they stopped singing, the woman asked the little girl why she was so sad.  The little girl said that her father had left and that her mother was not there.  The woman told the little girl that she would take photos of her to send to her mother, and asked the little girl if she could give her a hug.  She said yes, so the woman gave her a hug.  During Mass, the woman ended up sitting across from where the little girl was standing, so she waved at her and took her picture.  The little girl smiled and waved back.  The woman was glad to be there for her son -- and for the little girl, too.  During the Sign of Peace, the woman blew the little girl a kiss.  The little girl smiled and blew one back.

The Kindness of Friends in Battle

"The lessons from the peace process are clear; whatever life throws at us, our individual responses will be all the stronger for working together and sharing the load."
― Queen Elizabeth II

I believe in carefully choosing our battles.  Life is way too short to take issue with most things that annoy us or that are not to our liking.  But every so often, an issue comes up that is either so important on the merits or significant because it impacts us, and we need to address it.  For conflict-averse people, that can be particularly difficult.  But it is much easier when friends join you.

The other day a friend of mine went into battle to advocate for something we both agreed was important.  She did not emerge unscathed.  But thanks to her kindness, progress on the issue was made. 

The Kindness of a Stranger

"Never lose sight of the fact that the most important yardstick of your success will be how you treat people -- your family, friends, and coworkers, and even strangers you meet along the way.
― Barbara Bush

A woman I know was trying to find parking in an apartment complex, but all the visitor spots were taken.  She drove around the parking lot for 20 minutes to no avail.  Then she saw a young man getting into his car.  She asked him if he had any suggestions about where she could park.  He pointed out the various places where there was visitor parking and she told him that she had already tried all the areas.  He asked her how long she was going to be and she told him that it would be a couple of hours.  He told her that she could park in his space as he would be gone for a few hours.  She thanked him and parked in his space.  A couple of hours later as she was getting ready to get in her car and leave, the woman made a card thanking the young man and included a gift card to Dunkin' Donuts.  She taped it to a bush in front of the young man's parking space and hoped that he would find it and know that she truly appreciated his kindness.