Are you on the treadmill? Do you wake up each day knowing there are more things to be done than could actually be accomplished? Does it feel like everyone needs a piece of you?
When I begin to feel that way, I know it’s time to close my eyes.
With my eyes closed and my body focused on deep breaths, I ... Read More
Have you ever had kindness show up just when you needed it?
If your answer if yes, when you’ve finished your morning coffee, please send me your story. That’s what this column is all about. We share stories of the kindness you’ve given and how it made you feel, or the times a kind act happened when you needed it the ... Read More
Can you remember what you got for your seventh birthday? How about your eighth? Ninth?
Maybe there’s one special present that stands out, but for me, it’s all pretty fuzzy.
It’s not the big celebrations or occasions that I remember from my childhood. My brain chooses to hold onto things that are much more random.
For instance, I remember when I was about ... Read More
Did you have a good summer? People ask each other that question all the time, but this time, I hope you’ll take a moment to think about it.
What moments of your summer mattered? My guess is they were the ones that were filled with kindness.
When we show up in people’s lives and notice them and love on them, we take ... Read More
Life is often made in the margins.
Those are the little segments of time on our calendars we don’t have planned. They are the 15 minutes before we need to be out the door to our kid’s soccer practice, the 30 minutes before our next meeting or, in the case of the woman who sent in the following story, the hour ... Read More
There is something to be said about being in the right place at the right time. It feels fortuitous, almost like someone is watching out for us or that our interactions are predetermined.
But instead of hoping to be in the right place at the right time, I long to be more aware of my surroundings. I want to be attentive ... Read More
I went to a conference earlier this month that was basically a two-day party for people who love kindness. Every night, a few folks would stand up and share a five-minute story about their favorite acts of kindness.
I wish I would have had the foresight to record their messages. I would have had enough material to fill this column for ... Read More
If it had rained one hot July day in 2011, I would not be writing this column.
If I had felt too tired by depression to take my kids to the city pool, I would not have a found my purpose.
If one teenage mom in a shiny gold bikini had been too proud to accept the money I offered, I would ... Read More
I think two might be my favorite age. Not for my own kids, but for other people’s kids.
When my children were two, I was caught up in diapers and crushed Goldfish crackers and constant laundry duty. Now, as a mom of school-age kids, I can sit back and see how adorable other people’s toddlers are, because I don’t have to ... Read More
My brother saved a little boy’s life once. The boy was swimming and got out too deep. No one saw him go under except my brother.
It happened more than 30 years ago and I’m certain my brother never even stops to think about what would have happened if he hadn’t been in that lake that day. Maybe time has also ... Read More
