Try a Little Kindness

"Spread love everywhere you go: first of all in your own house. Give love to your children, to your wife or husband, to a next door neighbor... Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier. Be the living expression of God's kindness; kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile, kindness in your warm greeting."
~Mother Teresa

The Wise Woman's Stone

A wise woman who was traveling in the mountains found a precious stone in a stream. The next day she met another traveler who was hungry, and the wise woman opened her bag to share her food. The hungry traveler saw the precious stone and asked the woman to give it to him. She did so without hesitation. The traveler left, rejoicing in his good fortune. He knew the stone was worth enough to give him security for a lifetime. But a few days later he came back to return the stone to the wise woman.


"I've been thinking," he said, "I know how valuable the stone is, but I give it back in the hope that you can give me something even more precious. Give me what you have within you that enabled you to give me the stone."

I love the quotes of Mother Teresa.  She was an amazing woman.  Her quote on kindness is especially meaningful to me.  We live in a tremendously busy world. We seem to always be going somewhere or doing something.  We take the kids places, we volunteer, we get involved, we work, we play, we teach, we hope, we dream and we pray.  There are so many things that demand our attention that it is easy to forget to focus on the things (or the people) that are most important. 
This simple quote reminds me that I don't have to be able to invest a majority of effort, money or time into making the world a better place.  All I need to do is to try a little harder to be a little kinder to those around me.

How about you?  Do you remember who you really are?
When that driver cuts you off on the freeway?
When the neighbor doesn't clean up her yard?
When the line is long in the store?
Or even when people don't notice you at church.

We can all improve the world around us by remembering that each one is a child of God and He loves us.  No matter whether we have good days, or bad ones.  No matter our mistakes or our whining.  He still cares for us.  He still suffered for us.  He still atoned for each one of our sins. 

I think that kindness, for me, is a small way of remembering and acknowledging His sacrifice. 
May we each try just a little harder to treat all those around us with just a little more kindness. 

"Sometimes when we are generous in small, barely detectable ways it can change someone else's life forever".  Margaret Cho

Who's life are you changing today?