Tag: kindness is contagious

Over the years, Saul and I have added to our family. First it was a dog (RIP Robby Dog Phillips). Then it was our three biological children. Then it was another dog (Dakota is currently sleeping next to me in my office). Then it was two precious boys, the same age as our middle son, Charlie. One of the boys ... Read More

Have you ever bitten off more than you could chew?

I’m not talking about the Christmas ham — I’m talking about a project you thought you could handle, but couldn’t. That’s what happened to Oscar Bergos from Moorhead, Minn.

Luckily, kindness pulled up to save the day.

“About 15 years ago, I had a cottage out near Detroit Lakes, Minn. Although I was ... Read More

For the record, you should never do anything in front of children that you might find embarrassing when talked about in front of adults.

When we go on vacation, I like to hunt down the town’s best specialty bakery. I have a tendency to buy two flavors of cupcakes at a time because it just feels like too much pressure to ... Read More

Sometimes it’s not the first blow that knocks us down, it’s the second or the third.

We can hold it together for the initial bad news, but all too quickly comes a totally unrelated problem that causes us to come unglued. I think they call that the straw that broke the camel’s back.

Jolene Rohde has been going through a tough time. ... Read More

We never really know what someone’s going through, do we?

The clerk at the grocery store who stands on her feet all day and then goes home to take care of an ailing parent. The teacher who pours lessons of kindness and sharing into beautiful little hearts and then realizes she’s been sharing her husband with another woman. The teen who ... Read More

I’m a sucker for a Hallmark movie. Love is in the air when the owner of a small-town bakery falls for the big-city developer who intends to shut her down, but then has a change of heart and sweeps in to save the building from demolition. Somebody hand me a bucket of popcorn and a hot cocoa.

In real life, love ... Read More

What if I told you there is a group of people who are going to accomplish 5,000 acts of kindness in just 15 days? Think it can be done?

What if I told you most of those people still live in their parents’ houses? And don’t have jobs? And wear “PAW Patrol” pajamas each night?

The people taking on this massive kindness ... Read More

Have you ever seen kindness ripple through a room? It happened just the other day in Sioux Falls, S.D.

The Edith Sanford Breast Center put on an amazing conference for survivors and I got to talk about using kindness during a cancer journey.

When I finished speaking, the emcee took the mic and told the crowd that one of the survivors wanted ... Read More

There is a wedding dress out there that’s missing its bride. Could it be you or someone you know?

I got a letter from Gail Richardson, who is keeping the gown until the perfect bride steps forward.

“I manage our church thrift shop, and a while ago, a brand-new wedding gown came in. The tags on it say David’s Bridal and it ... Read More

People often ask me about maintaining their safety while pursuing a brave and kind life. How do we know if we’re supposed to give a homeless person money, or stop to help the car on the side of the road?

My answer might sound flippant, but I mean it sincerely: follow your heart. If your heart says “stop,” then stop. If ... Read More