By Beth Carpenter
It’s Thanksgiving, the day set aside to remind us to take
time to be thankful for all the good in our lives.
It’s hard, sometimes, to sort through the noise and remember
to be grateful for what we have. Advertisers, news media and political parties have
learned it’s in their best interest if we’re unhappy. We’re genetically programmed
to notice danger, and so the best way to get our attention is to point out what’s
wrong, what’s missing, what isn’t perfect. But it’s important that we also pay
attention to what’s right, the good things we have, and the many acts of kindness
surrounding us each day.
Sometimes they’re little acts, like someone holding a door, reaching
something on a high shelf, or offering to let the mom with the fussy toddler check
out first. Sometimes they’re huge, like giving a college scholarship or a car. But kindness is something we can all practice and every act of kindness makes a difference.
In Milwaukee, when an officer stopped a woman and was told
she couldn’t afford car seats for her girls, he bought them for her.
In San Antonio, a little girl whose dog died wrote a letter
to God, and a postal worker sent a book and a response to reassure her.
A sanitation worker in Independence, Missouri helped an women
who suffered from dementia when she fell, and developed an ongoing relationship
with her.
A woman in Mesa, Arizona accidentally invited someone else’s
grandson to Thanksgiving, and now he's always invited.
I’ve been the beneficiary of so many acts of kindness. From the
people who helped change tires or jump batteries, to writers and readers who
gave advice and encouragement, to neighbors who roll out the trash and collect
flyers when we’re out of town, to the nurse who reassured me before surgery—I’ve
been surrounded by kind people, and I’m thankful.
Do you have a story of an act of kindness you’d like to
share?
I'm thankful for Heartwarming readers and authors. You're one of the really good things in my life, and I'm so glad you're here.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Not a single act, but the amount of giving done in this season to people in need (or even want) whom the giver doesn't even know is enough to give hope. Doing it out of the blue, without a season as a reminder, is even better. Happy Thanksgiving, Beth.
ReplyDeleteIt does give us hope. Happy Thanksgiving to you, too, Liz.
DeleteHappy Thanksgiving Beth and all who read this inspiring post today! I love to read stories of random kindnesses in the news - our neighbours (a young couple with 2 young children) raked up all our leaves last week, just because! We need these stories don’t we, affirming our better sides when too often we’re confronted with the negatives. And like Beth, I’m so appreciative of our Heartwarming author group.
ReplyDeleteSounds like you have great neighbors! Happy Thanksgiving.
DeleteHappy Thanksgiving. I see so many acts of kindness every day. Some are simple, like keeping a person from some hazard lying on the floor to the good samaritans we hear about making huge efforts. Seeing family and being kind to them is much more important. These are the people we tend to forget that kindness should also extend to them. So be kind to your siblings, parents, cousins, aunts, uncles, etc. Be especially kind to the ones that irritate you. Make a friend, not an enemy.
ReplyDeleteWell said, Shirley. Kindness starts at home.
DeleteI love reading about random acts of kindness. And sometimes I even practice them. :-) Lovely post!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Patricia. Happy Thanksgivings.
DeleteI'm a late comer here on the Thanksgiving post, Beth, but I appreciate what you said. Funny, kindness has become a major theme in book 3 of my series. I've heard two or three stories just recently of people finding lost phones and making an effort to get them back to their owners. It's a modern day kindness among strangers. I bet we see more and more of it. Thanks, Beth
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by, Virginia. Acts of kindness in a story always make me smile.
DeleteThanks!!
ReplyDeleteWow great article! Will surely use these tips to gain more subscribers! Thank you so much! Keep on writing and more power!
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