Dear Reader:

A couple of days ago I read an article on kindness… it brought in a new insight that I had never considered before reading the article. Here are a couple of excerpted phrases that made me pause and think.

Source: Nipun Mehta (newsletter) “Force of Kindness” by Sharon Shalzberg

The author began the article asking us if we ever feel fragmented? If we find ourselves searching for meaning in life…while continuing to do only what we have to do to survive our daily routine.

Shalzberg reveals that the force or power we are looking for to turn our lives around is the force of kindness. She says:

...”To explore kindness as that thread of meaning requires finding out if we can be strong and still be kind, be smart and still be kind, whether we can be profoundly kind to ourselves and at the same time strongly dedicated to kindness for those around us. We have to find the power in kindness! Without it we will continue to wander aimlessly through life. “

The author contends that true kindness is such a powerful force that it can literally change our whole perception of life and the people we come into contact with within that life….we no longer have to “pretend” to be kind or “work” at it…it becomes a natural rhythm like breathing. It becomes a part of us:

When we are devoted to the development of kindness, we are no longer forcing ourselves into a mold we think we have to occupy; rather, it becomes a movement of the heart so deep and subtle that it is like a movement of the sea close to the ocean floor, all but hidden yet affecting absolutely everything that happens above. That’s the force of kindness.

………………..

The article has stayed with me springing up in my consciousness at odd times. I began to think about when I stopped putting Smile …You’ve been Tagged notes on cards or handing them to someone behind me in line. It’s been awhile. The garden, new births, family, and friends have occupied my time…and it is a wonderful life!

At certain intervals, however, we have to stop and think of others, outside our realm of comfortable familiarity… and reach out to them.

I have new neighbors moving in across this street in a few weeks…right now they are over at their house almost every day… working on the inside and outside of their new home.

The couple is so nice; they have two children, nine and five….a boy and a girl. We have introduced ourselves and spoken each time I see them while getting my mail. So my thoughts immediately turned to them to provide a little “surcie.”

I already had two baked chocolate chips cookies and those pink and blue lollipops left over from Easter…I packaged them up with a big “You are Loved” card and a ‘Welcome to the Neighborhood‘ greeting on the back. But I didn’t sign this one…just want them to feel that they made the right choice selecting our street to move on to….

I, then, needed to run an errand and pick up something from Simple to Sublime…so I made a little floral arrangement (a real perk for having a garden…you always have fresh flowers) using one of Honey’s adorable little pottery vases (Remind me Honey to buy some more from you when we see each other next time) and bumped into Samantha crossing Short Central….she had gone to get some iced tea. Perfect timing.

There is power in kindness…my third card is going to go in the mail slot at the Post Office addressed to “Whoever is sorting the mail today…Yes YOU” with a Starbucks gift card and a “You are Loved” note card….(and appreciated!) Random and even, not so random, acts of kindness define humanity…we are made in God’s image and as such should slow down enough occasionally to acknowledge the other people chosen to live on this earth at the same time we do. It makes us all special!

So until tomorrow…Do something kind for someone else…the natural “high” you get is the best medicine in the world. It does a body good!

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

* Today is John and Mandy’s 7th wedding anniversary…and look what has come out of this wonderful union….Eva Cate and Jake!

I am keeping them this evening so John and Mandy can return to The Oaks Steakhouse. This is the location where John proposed to Mandy…which makes it very special…plus the food is out of this world too!

 * But before we all do this…Mandy and I are heading to a baby shower given for Mollie (and Lachlan) by one of her close friends. It will be fun to see a lot of Mollie’s friends whom I haven’t seen since the last shower or party…and get to see Marcia again!

* More happy news…Kaitlyn completed her certification instruction in yoga last weekend and can now instruct other interested participants!. We are so proud of her! Congratulations Kaitlyn! I have a little “surcie” for you, too, which I will give you at the shower today!