another month

Today we end the fifth month of the year.  Wow!  Sometimes it seems like time flies by.  How has 2024 been to you so far?  Do the people you come in contact with seem more kind these days?  How kind are YOU?  Be proud of yourself if you think you are improving, but never stop and never give up.  We can always improve.

special ways

Here are a few special ways to spread kindness.  Clean graffiti from neighborhood walls and buildings.  Visit or call a homebound person.  Let the person behind you in the grocery store go ahead of you in line. Volunteer at an organization that needs help.  Transport someone who can’t drive.  Donate blood.  Have a clean-up party in the park. Volunteer to read to kids in the library.

need a break

Need a break?  Go for it!  It is perfectly normal to take breaks.  While I will always encourage kindness to others, kindness to ourselves is so very important too!

The Value of a Moment

Sometimes we never know the true value of a moment until it becomes a memory that we wish we could experience over and over and over again!

true heroism

On this Memorial Day, I remember the words of tennis great Arthur Ashe who said “True heroism is remarkably sober, very undramatic. It is not the urge to surpass all others at whatever cost, but the urge to serve others at whatever cost.”

it is in our power

Sometimes we want to create our own opportunities for kindness: Going beyond the opportunities that naturally present themselves by intentionally working to make someone’s day. Truly it is in our power to do amazing things!

make up your mind

Abraham Lincoln said, "Most folks are as happy as they make up their minds to be." I suppose the same thing can be said about kindness.  We are as kind as we make up our minds to be.

from Ralph Waldo Emerson

Essayist, poet, and lecturer Ralph Waldo Emerson said "You cannot do kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late." How true.

Mister Rogers

Remember Mister Rogers? Wonderful Fred Rogers was such a great teacher for our kids. He once said “Being kind means responding to the needs of others—and people can be kind, no matter how old or young we are.”  I agree!

The Dickens you say

I have heard a lot said about dishonest behavior in the past few days. I makes me think of these words from Charles Dickens: "I have known a vast quantity of nonsense talked about bad men not looking you in the face. Don’t trust that conventional idea. Dishonesty will stare honesty out of countenance any day in the week, if there is anything to be got by it."

powerful thoughts

If we all realized how powerful our thoughts are, we would never again think a negative thought.

Karen was singing

Fifty-two years ago, Karen Carpenter was singing "What I've got they used to call the blues. Nothin' is really wrong, Feelin' like I don't belong." Ever had a day like that yourself? That popular song Rainy Days and Mondays could easily describe today, except for one thing: Nothing needs to get us down. Nothing. It's raining where I live, and it is indeed Monday, but I refuse to be depressed about anything. There are bright corners everywhere. Just look for them.

some random acts of kindness

This morning, I want to share a few ideas of random acts of kindness. Volunteer at your local hospital.  Buy a stranger a free pizza. Offer to return a shopping cart to the store for someone loading their car. Buy cold drinks for the people next to you at a ball game. Call an estranged family member. Clean graffiti from neighborhood walls and buildings. Spend some time serving food at a meal program for the needy.

equality and opportunity for all

I cannot understand at all how destroying families through deportation benefits our society in any way. Whatever happened to basic human kindness? Whatever happened to the fundamental American promise of equality and opportunity for all?  How can we think of some people as "illegal"?

Take responsibility and breathe kindness

"If everyone took personal responsibility for their animals, we wouldn't have a lot of the animal problems that we do. I'm a big spay-and-neuter supporter. Don't have babies if you're not going to take care of those babies. We don't need more. We just need to take care of the ones we have. Take responsibility and breathe kindness." -Wonderful words of wisdom from the late actress Betty White 

You just have to care

To make in difference in someone's life, you don't have to be rich or famous. You don't have to be brilliant or beautiful. You don't even have to be perfect. You just have to care.

we underestimate

I think I have quoted these words from Leo Buscaglia before, but I really relate to what he said, and so I share them again. "Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around."

they know

If someone is falling behind in life, you don't have to remind them of it. They already know. If someone is unhealthy, they know that too. If someone is struggling in their relationships, or with money, or with self-image, they know.

hospital week

Highlighting our hospitals, health systems, and health care workers and the innovative ways they are supporting and connected to our communities, yesterday we began Hospital Week. As a hospital volunteer of many years, I can tell you one thing for certain about hospitals. You will encounter a LOT of kindness there!

another be good to mommy day

On the old television program Captain Kangaroo, I can remember them singing "Another Be Good To Mommy Day."  Of course every day is such a day.  Today is Mother's Day and while people will do special things for their moms, I want to encourage you all do remember the wisdom of Captain Kangaroo.  Don't just be good to your mom today, but every single day.

self-kindness

To truly practice self-love, you have to learn self-kindness, and being kind to yourself means getting serious and committed to your dreams.

From Confucius

A saying attributed to Confucius: "Act with kindness, but do not expect gratitude." Indeed.

Receiving compliments

Raising funds for a large charity, I was very pleased last night to receive a large donation from someone I have known for many years, but when I saw that on my fundraising page he had written that I have "always had a big heart," it made my day.  The money was certainly great, but oh those words!  We don't go through life looking for compliments, but when they receive them it is such a beautiful tonic.

think about you

Everyone carrying a heavy heart in silence should know the importance of being kind to yourself. Yes, being kind to others is always important, but first think about you and you're going to be okay.

giving blood

Want to hear some amazing numbers?  Every 2 seconds someone in the United States needs blood and or platelets. Approximately 29,000 units of red blood cells are needed every day in the US and nearly 5,000 units of platelets and 6.500 units of plasma are needed. Wow!  Blood cannot be made in a lab.  When blood is needed it comes from the kind and caring donors who truly save lives.  That's why I mention it here so often.

nurses

Nurses are amazing, and on this Nurses Day, I want to quote Maya Angelou who said "As a nurse we have the opportunity to heal the mind, soul, heart, and body of our patients. They may forget your name, but they will never forget how you made them feel." I agree. It has been said "Save one life, you’re a hero. Save 100 lives, you’re a nurse."

simple

Be Kind.  It doesn't have to be a long and detailed message here.  The purpose of this blog is so very simple, and so is the message.

big and expensive

Does it have to be big and expensive?  Nope.  It need not cost you any money at all.  In fact some of the kindest things we can do are simply being there for someone else and showing that you care.  Try it.  It matters.

Don't wait

I have said this many times before, but it really cannot be said too much.  Tell people who you feel about them now.  Don't wait.  Yesterday I learned of the death of someone I have many fond memories of.  We had been out of touch, and now it's too late.  Don't let that happen to you and those you care about.  Show your love and you concern for those people in your life.

new month

It's a new month and a new week and a new opportunity to show our kindness!  How wonderful!  Happy May everybody!  Be kind!