Journal of Sacred Work

Kindness

One never knows
How far a word of kindness goes;
One never sees
How far a smile of friendship flees.
Down, through the years,
The deed forgotten reappears.

One kindly word
The souls of many here has stirred.
Man goes his way
And tells with every passing day,
Until life's end:
"Once unto me he played the friend."

We cannot say
What lips are praising us to-day.
We cannot tell
Whose prayers ask God to guard us well.
But kindness lives
Beyond the memory of him who gives.

Edgar Albert Guest

A Loving gesture or simple acts of kindness can have impacts on the receiver way beyond our ever knowing. As a teenager I worked on a behavioral health unit for teenagers. One day,  I was walking along a path from the towns common area down to the Retreat Center. As I passed a youth I smiled and said hello. Some weeks later that same patient told me what a significant impact that friendly greeting was for him on that particular day when he was feeling isolated, depressed and alone. I had no idea.

Each one of us can recall countless experiences of situations in which a person showed us a simple act or perhaps an extraordinary act of kindness. I recall a situation when I was up in the mountains during a snowy winter.  We drove up to a higher elevation to play in the snow, a novelty for those of us living in S.CA. Upon feeling quite cold and ready to head down the mountain I realized I had locked my keys in the car. Phone reception did not work and we were stuck there. This young, petitie woman offered to try and help. Strangers who observed our plight came to our rescue as well, but to no avail and quickly gave up. However, this woman was persistent and kept on trying. It took nearly two hours before she managed to get into the trunk of the car open. Once open, her generosity went even further as she crawled into the trunk. She worked long and hard to get the back seat to fold down and crawled into the back seat of the vehicle to retrieve my keys. I was in awe that someone would go to those lengths to help us. One of those people I will never forget. An act of kindness out of the goodness of her heart!

In healthcare, caregivers are making a huge difference in the lives of patients and their families as they traverse very difficult and challenging times. Often as quiet heroes each day offering a kind word or a compassionate presence that means so much to the person who is vulnerable and suffering in some way. The impact of these gestures on the receiver as well as the giver are often reciprocal in which each person experiences healing.

Whenever we act from a place of love, miracles occur.  According to A Course of Miracles (ACIM), spiritually, “There is no order of difficulty in miracles. One is not "harder" or "bigger" than another. They are all the same. All expressions of love are maximal.”

The above familiar photo is of my grandson, gifting me with a bouquet of dandelions that he picked. I am so grateful that his loving gesture was captured in time for me to recall with loving fondness each time I behold it.

It is uplifting to reflect upon the little acts of kindness we receive or witness and share to write down and retell these little stories, and in this way rekindle them in our hearts and relive them. Loving thoughts that bind us together forever.

Liz Sorensen Wessel