Missy

today I went to a luncheon and I got up before everyone else had so I could pick up plates so they could socialize..I was told "here would be no tips.!!!"... It was a senior gathering and they loved the pampering...I enjoyed serving them in that very small way. The smiles and thank you's were many and I spoke to each and every single person there and made them feel special for coming.

Wanda

Today I was out with a friend that I met recently. We went to "Kopps" for ice cream with our children 3 total - ages 4 and under. The kids tried very hard to sta...y quiet but then they just couldn't and started running around. My friend was beginning to feel embarrassed because people began to leave. I made her laugh by saying we will be the talk of their dinner tables tonight. Soon it was just us and our children, it was then that she asked me about my church. We talked about it for a while and she asked about children's programs. I was able to invite her to come to church with me and my family. Now I should mention that this was the 3rd time we talked about it but today was the first time that she really seemed interested. ----- So, long story short. By our children clearing the room out. God was able to allow for a fairly quiet moment for us to talk about him. I was able to share my excitement and love for my church to get her willing to come and hear about Him.--- I find it amazing that God can use a child's restlessness as the perfect time to see God's love and his hand in our days. ---- I do wish though that I could apologize to the people who cleared out though. I feel that we disrupted their day and that was not kind. But God was able to use that situation for his Glory and that is the point I am trying to make. God knew that my friend had a need. That need was to hear. I spoke the words God put into my mouth. I feel it will take a few more conversations and a few more invites for her to be fully ready to come to church.

Kim

I have an elderly neighbor whose car has been wrecked. And I have been able to take her on errands. She is a real sweet lady. I am praying God will help me reach to others more. I have been caught up in my own depression and not watching for the opportunity. Will make a point so I can respond to the challenge here

The Kindness of a Little Flower

The Kindness of a
Little Flower



“How shall I show my love is proved by deeds? Well - the
little child will strew flowers...she will embalm the Divine Throne with their
fragrance, will sing with silvery voice the canticle of love.



Yes, my Beloved, it is thus that my life's brief day shall
be spent before Thee. No other means have I of proving my love than to strew
flowers; that is, to let no little sacrifice escape me, not a look, not a word,
to avail of the very least actions and do them for Love. I wish to suffer for
Love's sake and for Love's sake even to rejoice; thus shall I strew flowers.
Not one shall I find without shedding its petals for Thee...and then I will
sing, I will always sing, even if I must gather my roses in the very midst of
thorns - and the longer and sharper the thorns the sweeter shall be my song.”
St. Therese the Little Flower (The Story of a Soul)

I can find nothing to add to this…perhaps one of you may
have some insight to share?

Fort Kindness

Fort Kindness



Bob is a Master Carpenter and General Contractor who does a
lot of work in the inner city of Milwaukee, WI.
He and I were talking yesterday about how far a little kindness can go
and he told me this story.

He was working on a
job site recently that had a particularly severe problem with stolen materials. After a couple of days of this he noticed
that the missing items were being taken to a vacant lot across the alley where
they were being used to build a ramshackle fort by the kids in the neighborhood.
His crew kept dragging the lumber back and the next day they would arrive to
find even more missing. The crew kept urging Bob to call the police; but Bob
had other ideas.

The next day Bob went and bought the needed supplies and
enlisted two of his employees to build the fort -complete with a door, windows
and a shingled roof! He tells me that when the neighborhood kids got home from
school that day “You could have been 50 miles away and you still would have
heard them hootin’ and hollerin’”.

Not only did Bob never have another thing missing from their
project, every morning they would arrive to find that the site had been
meticulously cleaned. Every wood chip, every bent nail, every soda can. They
also found a thank you card signed by
40+ kids. (He keeps it on his mantel).

Bob’s act of kindness may not seem to have had a significant
impact from our “adult” point of view-but I’ll bet those kids would disagree!

Kindness is a Verb!

Kindness is a verb!

I recently heard an old friend of mine talking about HOW “love is kind”. He pointed out that it may be helpful to think of it in terms of “verbish-ness” rather than “adjective-ness”; so instead of viewing kindness as an IS (which makes it a somewhat arbitrary or impersonal) -viewing it as a DOES (which gives us ownership-a vested interest). We might re-phrase St. Paul’s description to be something along the lines of “It is in showing kindness to others that I love them.”
What do you all think? What are some ways we can take ownership of kindness and commit it upon the world-one expression at a time?