kindness

i had planned to blog about something else but

when i read your post and heard your struggle

with valuing your acts of kindness to others

i wanted to share with you what i feel

about small, daily acts of kindness.

kindness comes cloaked in many forms: simple acts

such as holding open a door, smiling at an unhappy countenance,

saying thank you, to larger acts like forgiving the unforgivable

and giving until it hurts.

your gifts to others are always enough. they are not measured

by some external tape which declares the gift worthy or unworth.

the very act of giving is enough.

"when you carry out acts of kindness you get a wonderful feeling inside.

It is as though something inside your body responds

 and says, yes, this is how I ought to feel" harold kushner

and even if there isn't a happy rush of endorphins, we know that

kindness is the right response.

giving of our time, our gifts, our resources, our simple selves

is what we are called to do.

i love your lent list.

i love that you were thoughtful to remember your sister and her vegetarian ways.

i love that you spent time with one of  your children

and it is sometimes a sacrificing of ourselves to do just that.

your gifts are numerous, mainly unseen and valuable.

the lives you touch on a daily basis are changed because of the encounter.

please suzy, don't doubt.

your gifts are enough. your kindness is contagious.

"no one act of kindness,however small, is ever wasted"

Thanks for helping Hannah and happy birthday Barry (if you are reading this over your wife's shoulder)