Tag: kindness is contagious

My 16-year-old niece, Kate, has had severe health problems since the day she was born. She has never had a pain-free day in her life.

Earlier this month, I had the privilege of speaking to about 500 people in my church sanctuary.

A friend recently asked if kindness ever comes back to bite me. She was struggling with the decision to continue extending kindness to people who just weren’t playing along. She felt as if all of her efforts were being done in vain and wondered if it was worth it.

My answer was, “Yes, I’ve been bitten.”

There are times when people are ... Read More

In the past three years, kindness has become my ministry. It is my passion, and in my opinion, it’s the answer to every problem out there. Be kind.

I’ve recently met a woman who shares my passion for kindness, but instead of “Be kind,” her platform is “Give.” She is so passionate about giving that she wrote her own Public Service ... Read More

I’ve mentioned in previous columns that I haven’t always had the closest relationship with my mom.

It has taken years (decades actually) for my heart to soften toward my mother.

Even during those times when I knew I should forgive her but couldn’t and wouldn’t, there was always the nagging thought in the back of my mind saying, “She won’t be around ... Read More

My birthday is coming up this week. On Wednesday, I’ll be 26. Again.

Birthdays are fun, but they don’t hold the same excitement for me that they did when I was a child. I remember wanting to invite as many kids as possible over to my house on my birthday in hopes of having a huge stash of presents to open.

Now, ... Read More

I recently received an email from a woman who wanted to give me $1,000. No joke. She had $1,000 to give away, and she wanted to give it to me!

Every year, Bell State Bank & Trust gives their employees money to give away in a random act of kindness. This year, the business added a twist and another layer to ... Read More

This is the hardest week of the year to write my column. An entire Holy Week culminates with the celebration of Easter.

It should be a piece of cake: Say something about the gift of salvation or tell a sweet story about how someone delivered chocolate bunnies to sick kids, right?

I either go Christian or non-Christian. Make a choice and start ... Read More

I wish I could stop eavesdropping. Honestly, I don’t intend to listen in on the conversations around me, but sometimes I feel like it’s unavoidable.

Since eavesdropping falls somewhere along the same lines as gossiping in my book, I find myself either moving away from the people talking or joining in their conversation.

I justify my verbal leap into something that is ... Read More

Do you ever think to yourself, “I’m always nice to people, but I really don’t have the time, energy, money or (fill-in-the-blank) to go around doing random acts of kindness?”

I used to think that way. I used to think the inconvenience of doing an act of kindness just wouldn’t be worth the reward.

Well, I was wrong. The opportunity to be ... Read More