Dear Reader:

Many of you living in the area and others just visiting Charleston have probably heard the name of this restaurant- Hyman’s Seafood. It has become an historical culinary benchmark in downtown Charleston.

It was 1986 when the great grandsons of the Hyman brothers (dating back to mid-1800’s)…changed the name of the building from Hyman’s Wholesale to Hyman’s Seafood Company... and the rest is history. Today you might spot a marker on your table that says Neil Armstrong, or Jodi Foster, or Oprah,  or Dolly Parton …(and others too numerous to mention)… sat here. When they ran out of tables…celebrities’ pictures began to  surround  the walls in framed photos.  Soon the idea of autographed plate wall-hangings added to the decor.

…But it was for none of the reasons cited above that compelled Cindy Ashley to forward me a sign located outside the restaurant that shows perhaps the best example of not only kindness, but compassion, and dignity too. (So proud it is in Charleston!)

Wouldn’t the world be a better place if signs like these started popping up all over Charleston, South Carolina, the United States, and the world?

We all  must remember that an act of kindness, no matter how well-intended, can easily leave a recipient feeling belittled instead of grateful.  Benevolence must always be tempered with compassion…thus leaving the recipient’s dignity intact with a promise to pay it forward one day in memory of this day.

So until tomorrow… Every act, every deed of justice and mercy and benevolence, makes heavenly music in Heaven

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh