Tag: forum

I let an opportunity for kindness pass me by, and I still regret it. I was at a restaurant when the server mentioned that she liked my necklace. A quiet voice in the back of my mind was nudging me to give it to her, but a louder voice was telling me how silly that would be and how uncomfortable ... Read More

Allow me to step back in time just a bit as I lead into this story on kindness.

It was May 2014: After 10 years in Fargo, my husband accepted a job taking us to Ohio. We made the emotional decision to pull our children out of school and transplant them in Athens before the end of the academic year so ... Read More

I am cancer-free! My husband and I wistfully joke that someday we’ll look back and say, “Remember that summer I had breast cancer?” It’ll be just one more little chapter in the story of our lives.

I was speaking at an event recently when a woman raised her hand and asked me, “Have you found that kindness truly is contagious?”

What a great question. The answer I gave her was a resounding “Yes!” but I struggled to come up with an immediate specific example. Sometimes kindness comes directly back to us, and sometimes it’s passed on to ... Read More

I had the strangest thing happen to me the other day. Someone totally burst my kindness bubble, and I was left standing in the middle of my bedroom wondering if I should scream, cry or just go back to bed and pretend it never happened.

I was home, recovering from my mastectomy surgery and unable to do anything for myself. Literally, ... Read More

I’ve held the belief for a while now that if you truly want to be happy and feel fulfilled, you have to get your mind off yourself and onto the needs of others.

I had to apologize to my neighbor for being so crabby to her and her grandchildren. We all went to a party at the community center, and I was off. Way off. Nothing was right. I should have been quarantined in a room by myself, but unfortunately, I wasn’t, and no one was safe from my venom.

Isn’t it interesting how easily your day can be interrupted? You wake up in the morning with big plans, and your day is laid out perfectly. Sometimes the plans are fun and sometimes they are mundane, but inevitably, they are all susceptible to change, whether you like it or not.

For example, you may be having a great time with your ... Read More

Kindness is a big deal in our house. It’s cause for celebration. We don’t have confetti or banners or balloons that drop from the ceiling, but my kids know they’re going to get a big hug and see absolute joy in their momma’s face when I find out they’ve gone out of their way to be kind.

I don’t even care that I have breast cancer right now. I really don’t. Do you know what I’m distraught about? I’m grieved that the parents of two Park Christian students had to bury their sons this week. I’m grieved because it feels like the entire nation is divided over recent decisions by the Supreme Court. I’m grieved because a ... Read More