Kindness

One of my favorite things to do over the years has been to watch sappy commercials and movies. And with the advent of the world wide web, I now enjoy watching short, sappy video clips. And yes, from my youngest days until now, and for probably for the rest of my life, I will cry when I watch them.

For a long time I was embarrassed by my tears, and if anybody else was around, I would covertly try to hide them. The longer I live, the less I care if others see those pesky, salty droplets rolling down my face. Because... when I watch people deliberately show kindness, that is either spontaneous or well thought out, my heart jumps, it grows, it cries, and everything in me says, "This is what life is all about!"

In that split second, when we are kind to another person, or animal, or even to nature, we show ourselves, not only to be the best we can be, but we show that connection to one another matters. People matter. Animals matter. Creation matters. We are interrelated in the most incredible ways.

Community happens and is fused together by intentional acts of kindness. It is a tribute to life, to love, and it marks our place in the universe. I honestly think that kindness has the ability to change everything.

I have learned that the seemingly littlest act of kindness can produce the largest change. So I want to be kind. I want to love well. I want to be so intentional about those things that I would be more amazed that they don't happen than I am when they do happen.

When I see kindness in real life or through the media, I hope and pray that my heart and soul takes note of the intentionality I've witnessed in others and I follow their lead. In following, I need to remind myself that intentionality of the heart begins with a decision. So today I will be kind. Today I will make a difference in someone's day.

I can guarantee you as kindness happens in and around me, my tears will flow. And I can also tell you that when that happens, I will feel no shame about it. I hope my tears water the hard places of my heart so that kindness will continue to grow.

If kindness is the smile on the face of life, I want to share it; I want to see others share it. Today, let's see how we can change the world with our acts of kindness. I want to hear your stories. They inspire me to risk, to grow, and to be kind.