Wordful Wednesday asks:
"Share a random act of kindness someone showed to you that helped you in turn to be aware of others and spread the kindness."
Well, it is almost Valentine's day so this is a pretty apropo topic!
When I first read this topic I thought of a time I went with my friend Jill to her house in Bountiful. Jill lived with her grandparents near me in college and that is how we met. I could write a whole post on kindness based on her grandmother (and her, for that matter!)! But this post is about her mom. We were hanging out in the basement and talking to her mom when I said, "I love your earrings!" They were like a little bunch of grapes, little balls all clustered together and I thought they were really neat! She started taking them out of her earlobes immediately to give them to me. I was horrified, and absolutely refused to take them. It was awkward.
I wished almost immediately that I had just taken them and treasured them as a reminder of a fun act of kindness.
It's not like I didn't have a good example to follow. When I was 13 my parents took my sister and I on a cross country journey. We loaded up in my Aunt's big orange van (with a couch/bed in the back so my sister and I could sleep as we traveled). We stayed with aunts and uncles, my sister living in Massachusetts, and with family friends in Louisville, Kentucky. That's pronounced Lou'vul, just in case you didn't know. Anyway, we stayed a couple of nights and had Sunday dinner with them. My mom commented on the cute stoneware plates that we ate with, cute little geese right in the middle of each one. As we were cleaning up dinner and washing them, Joy got a box and carefully wrapped them up and gave them to my mom. And you know what? My mom took them! And we ate on them a lot! It was a fantastic reminder of a generous heart.
I have tried (sometimes successfully and sometimes not) to both be a little more generous, and to be a little more gracious. Being kind is just as important as receiving kindness! In the words of a primary song:
I want to be kind to everyone,
For that is right you see.
So I say to myself, "Remember this:
Kindness begins with me."
6 comments:
That primary song is a family favorite for FHE. Thanks for the reminder!
I remember that! Those earing were great. You really should have kept them. You could still be wearing them today.
Hey, my mom's out of the country, maybe we should dig through her jewelry box and see if those earings are still there. I'm sure my mom would still want you to have them.
LOL@Jill's comment.
I loved this story, I would also feel really awkward in that situation, but what a wonderful, kind woman to just want you to have the earrings. (and later the woman with the dishes)
Oh to be so generous. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for sharing that. I agree that receiving kindness graciously is as important as giving it generously.
My Grandfather's favorite hymn was "Have I Done Any Good?" and he lived by that standard. I am trying to make that my life's mission: to do good in the world EVERYDAY. I need to remember that sometimes that means receiving good happily.
Some of the kindest things people have done for me is to just let me help. Great post!
I will always remember the kind things you have done for me. Thank you so much! love ya.
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