Kindness

I was recently at a water aerobics class and we were asked to swim to the side of the pool to get our weights.  I reached for mine and for another set of weights that were close to mine.  I asked who they belonged to and handed them to a gentleman class member.  He frowned slightly and stated, "I don't want to owe anyone."  I was a little surprised as I did not know who they belonged to but wanted to get them for someone else to save them some time and effort.  I was sad because this individual did not know how to accept a kindness graciously.

There was a quote I read from a church sign.  "Kindness is difficult to give away because it keeps coming back!  Two opposite viewpoints about kindness to think about!  I believe I would err to the side of kindness because it is free, offered from the heart and makes us feel good inside.  I remember one time I had given a neighbor a crib for her grandchildren that I no longer needed.  About 10 years later, I was going to have my first grandchild.  I heard a knock at the door and my neighbors were returning the crib to me with a new mattress because they no longer needed it.  At the time, I was laid off my job and had no money to buy one.  I had never asked for them to return it.  Now I needed it and it was in better condition than when I gave it to them.  I was so happy because I did not have to store it for 10 years and now I could use it for my granddaughter.  What a blessing!  Kindness always pays off when we give it time.  God's time, not ours.  Kindness is God's blessing reaching out to us throughout our day and our life.  Let us begin to prioritize being kind to others and just watch the blessings flow back to us!