You Never Know

When you do an act of kindness you never know how much it affects the receipient. Sometimes a small act of kindness can make a big difference.

I know that many folks think that unless their act of kindness is big or expensive, it really doesn't count. But the little things do make a difference.

Consider this checkout clerk's act of kindness. The receipient was going through a rough time with her youngest child in the hospital. And it was the holiday season. She and her older son went grocery shopping. Weary from worry, she didn't expect to be treated special. Take a look, it's a short clip:

So, this clerk, who was probably dealing with all kinds of frazzeled shoppers during the holiday season, was attentive to her shopper and her shopper's child. And she took the time to treat them as special. It made all the difference.

So who might you treat as special today, or tomorrow, or the next day? Let's all practice paying it forward.

Are You Ready?

So, how often have you been asked, "Are you ready for the holiday?" Well, that's not what I'm asking. I'm pretty sure you are ready, or nearly ready, for the holidays, or you would be in the next day or two.

What I'm asking is, "Are you ready to make the world better?" Don't worry. I'm not asking you to change the whole world by Friday. I'm asking if you are in the state of readiness. Are you motivated to make something good happen? 

That's all I'm really asking of you. I want you to keep the idea of doing something good in the front of your mind. Keep yourself ready to make a positive difference to someone. You don't have to change the whole world. I'm asking you to made someone's world better somehow.

It is the little acts of kindness that make a difference to the lives of others, changing their world in positive ways. So what are you doing this week to make a difference? There should be numerous opportunities during this holiday season. Make doing good a habit by doing it often.

This afternoon I'll be wrapping warm winter hats I've collected over the past month to be distributed to the more than one hundred unsheltered homeless on Christmas. Last year we collected warm neck scarves, over two hundred of them. Sound like an impossible project? Not when you ask others to help. And othere people are glad for the opportunity.

So, you see, you don't have to make the world better on your own. Together we can do amazing things. Be a catalist for good.

Are you ready?

Will the World Know You Were Here?

What mark are you leaving on the world? Have you made much of a difference? What kind of difference is it? Are you satisfied with that mark? Or are you still working toward that mark?

At my age I often contemplate my mark on the world. I'd say my mark is mostly positive because I have worked toward that. It is my ultimate goal. But I haven't always considered that. I guess because I am closer to death than to birth, by a long margin, it is something I'm more aware of. I do, though, wonder if otheres think about the mark they will leave on the world.

Depending on your age, I suppose, you may or may not often think of your death. And I don't mean that I dwell on how or when I will die. But I do think about what I will leave behind. Have I said or done something that impacted someone enough to change their life in a positive way?

I think I probably have. I worked as a mental health counselor in the State prison system and have had many meaningful exchanges with men who have lost their way. I have seen then look at themselves in a new way. I have seen them change what they believe. It has been heartening for me to know that sometimes I have made a difference in their lives.

I have done a lot of volunteer work and helped many causes through church and civic groups. While that work is usually another degree of separation, not so much individual to individual, I know that it has made a difference in some lives. I led programs to build houses in Haiti after it was devastated, to replace firefighter equipment after Hurricane wiped out a station house on the East Coast, to make dresses and shorts for children in Africa and Honduras, to help elderly poor in our city to clear their yards to avoid city violations, to provide new Christmas gifts to 200 unsheltered homeless in our city. Most of all those folks never knew my name and all of that brings me joy.

Obviously my children and grandchildren have been part of me trying to be a good role model. They have made their mark on me, that's for sure. And I hope my being in their world has made it better somehow.

What about you? Will the world know you were here? What mark have you made on the world? Please share.