“Constant kindness can accomplish much. As the sun makes ice melt, kindness causes misunderstanding, mistrust, and hostility to evaporate.”—Albert Schweitzer

“Constant kindness can accomplish much. As the sun makes ice melt, kindness causes misunderstanding, mistrust, and hostility to evaporate.”—Albert Schweitzer Some people feel a strong desire to change the world for the better. They want to help reduce the suffering of others, and at the end of life’s journey, they want to feel confident that their life has had a positive impact on the world and its inhabitants. Because most of us have only average talents and opportunities, we are unlikely to have a major impact on the world through any single large lifetime accomplishment such as finding a cure for a serious illness or inventing something that revolutionizes the way we live. However, by regularly engaging in acts of kindness throughout life’s journey, we can do more to reduce the suffering of others, than we can in any other way. A lifetime dedicated to trying to lift the spirits, and improve the lives, of other people can bear more fruit than we are capable of imagining. Kindness is like sunshine. It warms our hearts and brightens our days. It lifts the lives of everyone it touches, and it usually has a ripple effect that benefits many others. Kindness is more than deeds. It is an attitude, an expression, a look, a touch. It is anything and everything that lifts another person. There are so many ways that we can use kindness to help others. We can provide encouragement through compliments. We can provide a listening ear and allow them to express their hurts and release pent-up tensions. A warm smile and a tender touch can help to heal. Sometimes, a small act of caring can so lift the spirits of a desperately troubled person as to give them a new lease on life. It is so easy to spread kindness wherever we go. It costs us almost nothing. Yet, the cumulative effect of spreading kindness throughout our lifetime is immeasurable. In the words of Robert Green Ingersol, “Kindness is the sunshine in which virtue grows.” Everybody has problems. Some people’s problems are visible for all to see, but other people who suffer major heartache keep their problems to themselves. As a result, they may seem to have happy, trouble-free lives at the same time that they are hurting so badly. Acts of kindness can benefit everyone so we should be generous with our kindness with all people. Sometimes, a warm smile, a kind word, or a helping hand can make a person’s day, so we should seize every opportunity to leave a trail of kindness wherever we travel. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote, “Kind hearts are the gardens, kind thoughts are the roots, kind words are the flowers, kind deeds are the fruits. Take care of your garden and keep out the weeds. Fill it with sunshine, kind words, and kind deeds.” Copyright, 2015 Allen W. Smith TB-732—Posted 06/24/2015