your thoughts

How about you? I've often listed random acts of kindness here, but what about you? Please always feel free to add ideas in the comments section below or to just tell us a story about kindness. There are so many wonderful heartwarming stories out there, and sharing is caring!

Hello everybody

Hello everybody!  How are you this morning?  I hope that many of you show up here every day, but if you happen to be a first-timer, let me offer a special welcome.  I hope you'll come back too.  This is a blog about being kind.  No bells and whistles here.  We don't even have fancy graphics or photos.  About the same time every morning, I sit down and write something about kindness.  I hope it helps.  I know it has helped me.  I now seem to think about the kindest way to approach things in any situation.  Please feel free to share this with your friends and to make comments below.  Oh and come back often!

Arnel's Foundation

Have you heard of Arnel Pineda Foundation Inc?  Have you even heard of Arnel Pineda?  (Well, I believe APFI operates solely within the Philippines with no outside affiliations, but check them out though).  They do good things.  I made a mention here a few years ago.  Their website is at https://arnelpineda.org/  It's the time of year when folks share love, and I know they would appreciate yours!

such an outpouring

Yesterday I attended a funeral.  The church was packed - mourners were in the doorway and spilling outside.  At a luncheon and civic memorial later in the day, the crowd was even bigger.  My heart was warmed to see such an outpouring.  Many present didn't even know the man who died, but they knew he was a good man and they knew the wonderful things he had done.

kind ideas

Every now and then I've listed things we can all do to show kindness toward others. Here are some more: Let the person behind you in the grocery store go ahead of you in line. Invite someone new for dinner, either in your home or in a restaurant. Give toys to the children at a shelter. Say nice things randomly to friends (or even strangers) on social media. Buy some bottles of water and randomly hand them out to strangers on the street.  Volunteer at a senior center or a hospital.  What else?  Help us come up with some other ideas!

Love what you do

The late Steve Jobs inspired me by his work and the way he lived, and also with this great advice he gave us: "Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it."

Mark Twain said it

Sometimes I have shared quotes here and one of my favorites comes from Mark Twain. He said "Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see." 

Are you a kind person?

I have a question for you.  Are you a kind person?  I mean really.  Would other people describe you that way?  If so, that's wonderful!  Keep it up!  We should all strive to be kind people.  

Kinds of Kind

I can kinda think of many kinds of kind - can you?  Haha!  Yes, I know, kindness is a way of life - a showing of care and concern for others, and yes, there are many "kinds" or ways to do this.  In fact, I think the ways are never-ending!

Lift up your thoughts

Days can be long when we spend our time moping about aimlessly, thinking only negative thoughts, but when we lift up our thoughts, and work toward a happy a productive day, the world suddenly gets brighter!

Kinder than yesterday

Am I a kinder person than I was yesterday?  Do I show more warmth and affection toward others? Am I unselfish?  Is there love and consideration in my behavior?  How thoughtful am I?  None of us is perfect of course, but I try each day to be kind toward everyone - not always the easiest of tasks!

National No One Eats Alone Day

National No One Eats Alone Day is a very kind idea, and it's observed on the third Friday of February each year. It was started by students for students and began in just a few schools and has spread to 2,000 schools in all 50 states, impacting more than a million students. It's a program of inclusion so that nobody is left out. Are they doing it where you live? Let's get started. No student should have to be alone.

First time visitor

If you are a first time visitor, I do hope you will come back.  This daily blog is about kindness and how we can be kind to each other.  I'm not an expert by any means.  I have no special training that would lead me in this direction.  I'm just someone who wants to share the joys of love and kindness and I invite you not only to read the words here, but to share yours as well, by commenting in the space below.

Sooner or later

Yesterday I learned that one of the sweetest, dearest people I have ever known passed away last week.  She had advancing dementia, and I believe there were some other health issues, so it shouldn't have come as a shock, but it did bring sadness.  She was so very kind too.  I could easily model this blog after her.  Our world is so much better off because this dear woman came our way.

Maya Angelou's thought

On this Valentine's Day, I am reminded of this thought from Maya Angelou "In all the world, there is no heart for me like yours. In all the world, there is no love for you like mine."

For Mom

Yesterday a lovely lady who lives in the town where my mom is buried, stopped by Mom's final resting place. She cleaned the marker, added a small pot of miniature daffodils and a colorful little stuffed bear (Mom used to collect teddy bears), and took pictures to send me. (I live far away). It was only three months before Mom died that this very kind lady met her. It fills my heart with joy knowing such wonderful people exist.

We must do

The actor and martial artist Bruce Lee, was also a poet and philosopher.  One of the most profound things Lee is known to have said is "Knowing is not enough; We must apply. Willing is not enough; We must do."

checking in

How are you doing?  How about your family, your friends, you neighbors?  We probably don't actually know each other, but it is still kind to check in from time to time.  I hope things are going well for you this February and that even better days are just ahead!

From the mind of John Ruskin

Prominent social thinker, art critic, writer, and philanthropist John Ruskin once said "Kind hearts are the garden, kind thoughts are the roots, kind words are the blossoms, kind deeds are the fruit."  It really paints a lovely picture.

Don't change

Remember that being kind also means being kind to YOU.  Don't change yourself for other people. Let them accept you for who you are, not who they want you to be.

Less judgmental

Oh how I want to be kinder.  I also want to be less judgmental. I know I sometimes have an excessively critical point of view, and that certainly isn't very kind.

Words from Saint John Chrysostom

"No act of virtue can be great if it is not followed by advantage for others. So, no matter how much time you spend fasting, no matter how much you sleep on a hard floor and eat ashes and sigh continually, if you do no good to others, you do nothing great." -John Chrysostom

Being a friend

Being a friend to someone else is just about the kindest thing a person can do.  (Cue Carole King's wonderful song You've Got a Friend right now).  Think for a moment about how your own friends make you feel.  Think about the lyrics of this song too.  Next, go and be the best darn friend you can possibly be.

Just another day

Today is the favorite day of the week for many people. Why? It's just another day, right? Nope.  Some folks live in the moment and make every single day special.  They choose to be happy and to share that happiness.  Yes, there can be difficult moments.  We have had a LOT of them this year, but don't think of today as just another day.  Think of it as another opportunity to share kindness with others and to be kind to yourself!  

I intend

Today I intend to be kind. I intend to be kind every single day. Sometimes when something bad happens or someone is yelling at me, I may need to step away for a moment or take a deep breathe. Sometimes I might even want to scream. At no point though do I ever want to repay someone else with anything other than kindness and I intend to be true to this attitude always.

Whole heart

"Life is going to give you just what you put into it. Put your whole heart in everything you do." 

                                                                                                   -words of Vivian Baxter

If Candlemas brings clouds and rain

The February 2nd tradition of deciding how much longer winter will last goes way back. An old English poem says "If Candlemas be fair and bright, winter has another flight. If Candlemas brings clouds and rain, winter will not come again." Back in the 18th and 19th centuries in central Pennsylvania, we began looking to a groundhog for predictions. Although he isn't the only one, Punxsutawney Phil became the most famous. All I have to ask is "Mr Groundhog, be kind to us. Let spring come early!"

February!

The second month of the year already!  February!  (Don't you wish everyone could pronounce it)?  Anyway, this is a good time to remind everyone about the importance of being kind.