I have to say that I like the effect that focusing on intentional kindness has had on our household. My daughter has started noticing more of the things I do for her on a daily basis and has begun coming to me offering a hug and her thanks. And I noticed that I am more careful on how I handle myself when we’re out and about. For example, instead of being focused, rushed and hurried, I try harder to slow down and notice those around me…to offer a smile, hold a door, speak words of encouragement, and even just enjoy the experience with my children instead of trying to rush through it. Has it been easy to come up with an intentional act of kindness everyday? NO! It’s honestly been a rough week. And there were days when it was all I could do to just make it through the day with my crew. And on those days, my biggest act of kindness was literally to drop to my knees in prayer before reacting to certain situations. So although our intentional acts may not have been carried out day by day this week, here are the things that we did focus our attention on at one time or another:
- Packed shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child, drew pictures and a simple note to include inside, and prayed for all the children that would be receiving them. (Collection Week is this week Nov 14-21. So it’s not too late if you still want to participate!)
- Left quarters in the first shopping cart in each line of carts at Aldi. (If you’re unfamiliar with Aldi, you insert a quarter in a shopping cart to release it. Then when you return the cart, you get your quarter back. The purpose is to cut down on the labor of collecting carts in the parking lot, thus keeping costs lower.)
- Put back misplaced items and things that were left lying on the floor as we walked through the store.
- Wrote letters to grandparents.
- Dropped some money in a box for a street musician.
- Made a special effort to stop and hold the doors open for others while out running errands.
- Gave some money to the man on the corner holding the cardboard sign.
The sad thing is that a month ago I may have driven right by that man on the corner. Not because he didn’t tug on my heart, but because I would have listened to my doubts. Doubts about what he would really use the money for. Doubts about why he was there in the first place. Doubts that he would even be motivated to improve his situation if me and everyone else kept giving him handouts. But today none of that mattered. What mattered was that life led one God’s children to stand on the corner with a cardboard sign. And that I had a choice to reach out in love or pretend I didn’t see. I hope that from now on, I will always choose love.
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