Category: Be Kind

The Christmas cookies are gone. The ham, roast beef or whatever you had for that special dinner is a distant memory. And yet, because donations tend to lag after the holidays, people in our community will go through the rest of this cold winter hungry.

Marv and Nancy Greenberg of Fargo didn’t realize exactly how close that reality would hit home ... Read More


Savor the mundane. You never know when you’ll want it back.

“I miss Saturday morning, rolling out of bed, not shaving, getting into my car with my girls, driving to the supermarket, squeezing the fruit, getting my car washed, taking walks.” -Barack Obama


Is it possible to turn a tragic experience into an opportunity to live more fully and love more openly? Absolutely.

I hear about people who take death, disease and other disasters and somehow find the strength to exhibit kindness through their despair.

I got this letter from a man who went through a very dark time several years ago and ended up ... Read More


What did you give people this Christmas? Did you stick to giving those gifts you buy in a store that need to be wrapped and then unwrapped? Or did you go beyond and give them the gift of your love and kindness?

Your talents, your abilities and even your warmth are things they can’t get from anyone else.

From Pam Nygard in ... Read More


In a few days, I will wake to the sound of three little voices whispering outside my bedroom door, discussing whether it’s too early to wake the parents.

Then I’ll hear three pairs of little feet scurrying down the hall and tiptoeing down the steps. They will stop suddenly and retreat, as they realize Santa may still be in the vicinity.

Then ... Read More


I imagine the elves are working feverishly to put the finishing touches on all of the toys that will find their way under trees by Christmas morning.

I never imagined I’d get to talk to one of them myself.

Perhaps Ken Pederson isn’t an actual elf, but he is certainly one of Santa’s special helpers. The Hawley, Minn., man has been making ... Read More


Sometimes these kindness stories fall into my lap, and sometimes I have to dig a little. The story this week is a combination of both. What I uncovered during my digging took an already great act of kindness (that had fallen into my lap) and turned it into a priceless conversation that left me with way more than I had ... Read More


Once upon a time there was a little girl with long dark hair, brown eyes that opened up to her soul and a smile that radiated throughout the room. Her name was Amanda.

Little Amanda loved to play with dolls and wear pretty dresses. Her mother couldn’t keep up with the pile of laundry that continued to grow as Amanda changed ... Read More


Have you ever been traveling and met someone from your hometown? There is an immediate bond.

Even if you don’t know any of the same people or came from completely different sides of the tracks, for just a brief moment, meeting someone from home feels like running into family. We immediately trust them and go out of our way to show ... Read More


As our world gets smaller through the Internet, cable TV and free long-distance phone calls, I think it’s also getting bigger and more disconnected.

We can say things – mean, hurtful things –without having to look a person in the eye. We can voice our opinions and send them off into cyber-space without any ramifications. We can spend our entire day ... Read More