Back In The Paint

So, I'm back at it. These are my latest creation. Another pair of shoes for Christopher.

It's been a long time since I've written and am determined to get back at it. I appreciate all the prompting from friends. This past year has been a trying one. Too many changes at work, but things are looking up with my now having a part-time job that I truly love. I am reviewing medical reports by medical transcription students. Feels great to be contributing to their education in a positive way. The boys are doing good as are the rest of the family. The granddaughters are growing and as beautiful as ever.

So, where has my mind been lately? I'm excited that my bekinder.net site has had quite a few "hits" over the last year. To me it says people are searching for "be kinder, being kinder, kindness, etc." Wonderful. We see "Be Kind" everywhere and people are talking about being kind and ways to be kind. Every time I hear something like that, again, I am convinced a little more that my mission is a needed one.

I think that we are all inherently kind souls. However....I challenge us all to take it a step further and BE KINDER. We need to seize each opportunity, to teach our children...and even our adults, as it presents to us. Whether it be over-hearing someone speaking negatively to another in a grocery store line or parking lot, if we hear it we need to acknowledge it. Whether it be seeing someone being mean to another in a school or home, we need to acknowledge it. We need to bring the "unkindness" to the fore-front. We need to point it out. We need to raise a red flag. We need to be loud in our voices that we will not accept unkind things within our space.

I'm still passing out my BE KINDER wrist bands and have a story to go with each one. One of my favorites has to do with the kids in my neighborhood. Over the past few years, I've given out quite a few to them, so much so that usually once a month or so one of them will knock on the door asking for another one. In the summer, they wear them on their ankles. One afternoon last summer, I could hear a hammering sound out in the greenbelt next to my home. I looked out, only to find a few boys with a baseball bat pounding on a tree. I put on my shoes and started to walk across the greenbelt. They saw me coming. I could almost hear them sigh as in "uh-oh". When I got there, one of the boys that has gotten quite a few wrist bands from me said, "Hi. I know what you're gonna say." I smiled at him and said, "You do?" He sort of hung his head down and said, "Be kind to the trees. Right?" I still giggle as I think of it. Needless to say, he was right and we all had an enlightening conversation that ended with them following me home for more wrist bands.

My point is, that was an opportunity for me to share with children about the idea of kindness, being kind....being kinder.

Too often, we miss those moments...or fail to recognize them...or simply decide to not get involved.

Consider the consequences of not doing anything when we see unkindness. I mean really, consider the consequences of not doing anything when we see unkindness.............a dead tree, a scared animal, a broken spirit, a suicidal teenager, a depressed spouse, an abused child, an abused adult.....the list goes on and on and on.

Everyday we are faced with opportunities where we can make a kinder difference. It is up to you whether or not you choose to seize it.

Choose to BE KINDER.