I’ve noticed something over the past nine years of writing this column. Acts of Christmas kindness seem to have a special ability to stay with us throughout years and even decades.
Two women have shared just those types of kindness with me in the following stories. The first is from Gretchen Robinson from South Hill, VA.
“My kindness story happened ... Read More
Someone out there today needs an important reminder. Maybe it’s you. Here it is:
God is still in the business of miracles.
God is still providing a way.
God is so big and yet concerned about the tiniest details in your life.
I’m sitting here with tears in my eyes because of a miracle He has produced in our lives. Someday I’ll get to ... Read More
There’s a pretty big celebrity living in my neighborhood. I hate to brag, but the president lives just a few doors down from me. If you weren’t aware, you might drive past his house without knowing it.
His name is Dawson, and he is president of the student body at Lincoln Elementary School in Aberdeen, S.D.
Back in October, Dawson ran for ... Read More
I don’t love social media.
If anyone from my kindness team is reading this, they are rolling their eyes right now, because that statement is a massive understatement.
I love having real conversations with real people, but anything over a computer feels a little forced to me. (Can you tell I was born before home computers were a thing?)
I used ... Read More
When I first started writing this “Kindness is Contagious” column nine years ago, I misunderstood what “weekly” meant.
The publisher said, “It’s a weekly column.” I heard, “Write it when you have something to write about.”
I asked readers to send in their stories of kindness, but I quickly learned to become an investigator of kindness in my own life so I ... Read More
Our minds can go in a lot of directions in a short period of time. Would you agree?
Just yesterday I was thinking about Christmas presents, the Packers’ game and tomatoes all at the same time. Has that ever happened to you?
A few weeks ago, I met a magician named Taylor Hughes. I didn’t know it at the ... Read More
I walked past the green and red shoeboxes and my heart caught just a little bit. I was in the middle of Hobby Lobby and my senses were overwhelmed with plaid pillows, glittery ornaments and ceramic Santas. But it was the tidy stack of boxes that held my attention.
Those boxes are a connection to the precious innocence of my now-teenage ... Read More
I planted a tree this weekend. Clearly I was somewhere other than Aberdeen, SD because no one plants trees in South Dakota in November.
But they do in San Diego!
Have you ever gone somewhere warm and sunny when everyone you know back home is freezing their weebles off? It’s kind of awesome.
But I’m not here to brag. I’m ... Read More
From the time I was about 10 years old I can recall seasons where a sense of hopelessness would follow me through the morning.
It was the oddest thing. Some days I would wake up and there it would be, sitting in the corner like a cloak insisting on being worn. I couldn’t leave my room without it. Other mornings, it ... Read More
Some grandmothers cross-stitch or quilt beautiful gifts for their grandchildren as lasting reminders of their love. Not Paula Larsen. The 75-year-old great-grandmother recorded a gospel album to give her family a special gift of love.
I wasn’t sure what to expect when I popped in the CD. I certainly didn’t anticipate hearing the powerful, husky, beautiful voice that filled the air ... Read More
