Sometimes right in the middle of your day a story about kindness that you would never expect sneaks up on you and makes you smile from ear to ear!
Today, a friend of mine and her three children Joey, 11 Sopia, 6 and Giuliana, 4 were all walking into Hobby Lobby together when Giuliana noticed an older gentleman sitting in a chair resting. Giuliana’s response to seeing this man in the chair was “oh, you can buy old men here”? As if she was asking her mom if they could take him home.
The man, named Harry, overheard her question and burst into laughter that caused a ripple effect in Hobby Lobby to all unsuspecting shoppers passing by. It was a beautiful contagious, joyful exchange between strangers!

At four years old Giuliana and her family gave a gift of kindness to a stranger without ever having to lift a finger, spend money or go out of their way to do so. She gave them the gift of laughter, community and love! This little powerhouse of a four year old was responsible for creating something magical in a store full of shoppers that are often plugged in, tuned out and on a mission all of their own.

And ya wanna know what else? As if this wasn’t already enough! When all of the laughter subsided, Harry, having been so touched by Giuliana and the warmth of her family asked if he could hug her! She didn’t hesitate for one second!

I betcha Harry will tell the story of little Giuliana as often as he can because kindness, laughter and love get repeated In ways we will never fully grasp. Except for “Gi-gi” I’m pretty sure this little love knows full well the powers of love and kindness, in fact she is the one teaching us!

“I try to be so tough and so independent maintaining two homes and raising two kids on my own but it is not easy.”

Denise is a single mom of two who by all accounts, has her act together. You would think by talking to her and looking at her, that she’s strong, capable and has everything under control. And for the most part she does. She works hard to bring in an income, maintain her home, and provide for her children. So what would bring this mom to tears? A seemingly small act of kindness by her neighbor who she’s only met a few times. Without asking, he surprised her by plowing her driveway and shoveling her walk. It wasn’t until Denise had bundled herself up and prepared to handle yet another responsibility on her own, did she discover what her neighbor had done. And it brought her to tears. To think another person would do something unsolicited to make her life even a little easier touched her on a very deep level.

“After I gathered my composure, I walked over to him and said thank you. He replied “You’re very welcome.” No more words were necessary. He knew by the look on my face how much it meant.”

Thanks for sharing your story with us Denise. and thank you to her neighbor for your kindness.

On a cold New York day, Amy and I headed down to Manhattan loaded up with hats and gloves to give away to anyone who may need them. We came across a man who appeared homeless sitting on the cold sidewalk, leaning against and equally cold building. We approached him and asked him if he would like a pair of gloves and a hat. He looked up at us and his face lit up like it was Christmas morning. “Yes! That would be great! I’ll take anything you got.” Amy handed him the hat and gloves, which he immediately put on. We found out his name was Edgar (because we ASKED.) We walked away feeling so good that we had something to offer someone and we did so without judgment. Likely thousands of people have passed Edgar by, either not even noticing him or not caring, and we wondered how many people cared to ask his name.

It doesn’t take much to be kind. A little goes a long way. Why even hesitate wondering if a person is worthy. Being human is enough.

We’re not sure who enjoyed the interchange more, him or us. On a cold day, on a cold sidewalk, in a sometimes cold world, Amy and I offered a little warmth.

Often Amy and I go looking for opportunities to be kind and sometimes kindness finds us. While it wasn’t a major gesture in the moment, the kindness that found us came as a complete surprise.

While walking up Lexington Avenue in New York City on World Kindness Day, looking for opportunities to be kind to others, we paused on the corner of Lexington and 47th to decide which direction was calling us. As we paused, a gentleman turned to us and said “Are you ladies OK? Can I help you?”

Now, you may think that isn’t such a big thing . . . unless you’ve spent any time in the busy, hurried city of New York. For someone to notice we were looking for something AND to offer assistance was borderline miraculous. Wasting no time at all, Amy whipped out a copy of Share This Journal and handed to him. The light changed, and he began to cross the street, reading the cover. He turned with a huge smile, held the book up high and said “Thank you. This is awesome. I believe in helping others.”

What a wonderful intersection of us looking to be kind, it finding us and us being able to reciprocate. And it all happened on the corner of Lexington and 47th.

Keryl