Tag: kindness is contagious

I used to think kindness was all about the money. Boy was I wrong. Anyone can walk by a beggar on the street and throw some coins in a can. But the person who stops, kneels down, looks that beggar in the eye and says, “Hey, I care about you because my creator cares about you” is the person who ... Read More

There is a woman in California who may love kindness even more than I do.

I know, it’s shocking. Her name is Marla and I’m thinking of road-tripping to sunny California to see if it’s true. I may even be able to write off the trip off on my taxes next year under the heading “research.”

My friend Liz has been haunted for a year by the way she reacted to her husband’s random act of kindness last Christmas Eve. I’ll let her tell you about it:

“I love the holidays. I look forward to them every year. But inevitably, I am always amazed at the amount of stress I feel during this ‘joyous’ season. So much ... Read More

A woman I haven’t seen for 15 years just emailed me out of the blue.

Our mutual friend, Heather, died of cancer ... Read More

Sometimes social media is nasty. I mean really, truly, ruin-a-person’s-day nasty. It gives people the opportunity to say whatever they want with little, if any, filter.

Some people need excitement in their lives, so they try to “stir the pot” by being downright rude. Then they wait and watch to see how the world will react via the anonymity of the ... Read More

The other night I put my kids to bed an hour and a half before their regular bedtime so I could sit on the couch, eat Ben & Jerry’s and watch a Hallmark Christmas movie alone in silence.

I’m not sure what kind of message that is sending to my family, but I’m sure it’s not a good one.

I’ve got a ... Read More

A man came to my house the other day to repair all of those little things in a home that are too difficult to fix myself, yet not so difficult that they involve cutting my losses and just moving.

He actually came the first time to convince the mice who had moved into my basement that they’d be better off finding ... Read More

It’s been six months since the moving truck pulled out of my driveway in north Fargo and made the 16-hour trek to Athens, Ohio.

Six months. That seems like such a long time. By all outward appearances, we are settled into our new life: my husband’s face is on posters all over town announcing the basketball schedule; my kids have play ... Read More

Did you know angels drive big, black trucks and often tell people they’re from Jamestown? At least that’s the way they are described in a recent letter I received.

Actually, Angels of Kindness drive a lot of different vehicles and live in every town in America (and beyond). Some make a lot of money, some not so much. Some are old, ... Read More

Do you want to know the problem with making kindness your mission in life? You actually have to be kind. All the time.