Small acts of kindness can make a big difference to someone’s day. Sometimes, we don’t even realise how big a difference. I have been the recipient of many acts of kindness. Realising how much better I feel when someone else has been kind to me, I have tried, in turn, to share a little bit of kindness in the world. Every act of kindness should be celebrated because, no matter how small the act, it demonstrates love in action.
Recently, I was thrilled to be able to display my books at a Winter market. During a lull in trade, while getting some coffee, I got chatting to one of the other traders who was explaining to me about her serious health problems. From what I could gather, she wasn’t expecting to live for very long: she was on dialysis but had decided to stop it at the end of the year. Without dialysis, it wouldn’t be long before her kidneys failed. I was so struck by her cheerful acceptance of the situation that I was prompted to go to her table to donate one of my books to her. The book I chose was: One Day; Then and Now, which is about the last day of this world as we know it, heaven in the future (Then) and how we can model heaven on earth (Now). I felt that this particular book, which consists of minimal text and striking illustrations, would be particularly relevant for her at this stage of her life. She was deeply appreciative that I was giving her a book – when she tried to pay me for it, I told her it was a gift. She immediately reciprocated by giving me one of her cupcakes and some lemon curd. Such small acts of reciprocal kindness, but what a difference it made to both of our days.
Then more than four decades ago, I remember an occasion when I and my husband, who died in 2000, were very short of money. One of his building projects was going very wrong, and we were being hounded by the sheriff, we couldn’t pay our bills and in fact, our financial situation was pretty dire. A man who I hardly knew heard about our problems; he was in the ministry and didn’t have much money himself. One day, he handed me an envelope. In it was R500, a large sum for him in his circumstances, but he really wanted to help us in any way he could. I was so touched by his generous gift and have never forgotten his act of kindness.
Another very thoughtful act I will never forget was an invitation to Christmas lunch. Except for a niece and her family, I don’t have family in Cape Town: I have two children living in the UK and one in Bloemfontein, a sister in Jo’burg and two brothers in the UK and Australia respectively. So I was feeling a bit sorry for myself because I would be alone on Christmas day – except – a kind lady from my bible study asked me to join her family for Christmas lunch. What a blessing, and what a wonderful Christmas day I had. Not being a cook myself – I only do basic as I’ve lived alone for so long and don’t particularly like cooking – I decided to put my name down as a host for our church Sunday lunches. I ordered a meal from a local home-cooking industry, except for the dessert which I braved myself. It was lovely to have new people in my home – a couple I probably wouldn’t have met had I not hosted the lunch. Small acts of kindness in the form of hospitality, both as a recipient and as a host: both occasions made my day!!!
I could go on…being given a lift to the hospital for an op, visiting an old lady fortnightly in an old age home and many other small acts of kindness both as a recipient and as a giver, but what a difference these seemingly insignificant acts of kindness make to someone’s day, maybe even to someone’s year. And the memories of these acts of kindness can linger long after they have been performed.