Anytime is a good time for kindness, but receiving it is especially sweet when you feel like you’ve got nothing left to give.
Proud dad, Scott Wright, who lives near the Wisconsin/Iowa border, and his wife still remember one particular act of kindness that came when they needed it most.
“Rewind in time. It’s May 18, 2000. My wife is 27 weeks ... Read More
When Mr. Rogers was a boy and terrible things would happen around the world, his mom would tell him to look for the helpers. Instead of focusing on the destruction, she encouraged him to look for the good — for those people who were moving forward in kindness.
Fred Rogers took that message with him into adulthood where he shared it ... Read More
When I first married my husband, he bought me a book called “Basketball for Dummies.” He was an assistant men’s college basketball coach at the time. I was more interested in the team’s colors and cute apparel than in what was happening on the court. We clearly had some work to do.
I asked him to buy me the book for ... Read More
I wonder sometimes about the messages I send even when I am completely unaware.
I have been known to roll my eyes and huff at my youngest son, “Can you please remember to bus your own spot after dinner this time?” I wonder if I am secretly saying to him, “You can’t remember to do anything.”
The thought is sobering and if ... Read More
My dad had a stroke in the summer of 2016. For more than a year, he’s been a resident of an assisted living home. It’s a lovely place, but my heart hurts because I know that isn’t where he wants to be.
I got to return to Wisconsin to visit him a few weeks ago and was delighted to see that ... Read More
A few weeks ago, I posed a question about the difference between helping others because it’s the “right thing to do” or because you want to do an act of kindness. I’ve already published some answers in this column, but I received one more letter in the mail that I couldn’t let go before sharing with you. It’s from Jean ... Read More
Last week I posed a question that had come across my desk from a Fargo mail carrier. He asked, “Where does citizenship end and kindness begin?”
His job often puts him in positions where he feels compelled to help. A lost cell phone, a wandering child or an emergency that requires a call to 911.
We are taught to be nice and ... Read More
The hardest thing to do when I’m feeling down is the one thing I know will help me feel better. It’s not exercise or sleep or eating healthier meals.
It’s kindness.
I know when I’m at my worst, I have to get my eyes off myself and put them squarely on the needs of others.
It works. Every time.
But it doesn’t just work ... Read More
My friend’s father-in-law recently died. It came on suddenly. It wasn’t supposed to happen that way. They weren’t prepared. I wonder, when it comes to losing someone we love, if we’re ever really prepared.
The hole that’s left while we are mourning seems like an endless chasm, and yet it’s the perfect size for kindness. Kindness shown through phone calls, flowers, ... Read More
They say what goes around comes around. If you consistently treat others with kindness, you can expect to have a pretty big kindness bank account to draw from when life throws you a curveball.
I’ve seen it happen again and again in my own life, and so has Mary Derosier from Red Lake Falls, Minn., although she and her mom were ... Read More
