As 2025 comes to a close, I am thinking of kindness. Of so much kindness that I was honored to receive, witness, and do this year.
More specifically, I am
thinking of the small acts of kindness.
The ones that are easy to overlook.
But if we squint – if we take time to notice them – they are actually
changing the world.
I would like to tell the
story of one of those small acts of kindness.
One that, most definitely, changed a life.
We have a dear friend that
we first met through the Little Yellow Free Pantry. She was a pantry guest and now has become a
very valued volunteer who puts in many hours supporting our organization. She has explained to us many times how the
food from the pantry saved her life. She
had nothing to eat, and chance brought her to the “yellow box” as she likes to
call it. She wrote to me, “I still
remember when the feeling of hunger repeatedly led me to your yellow food box, and
feeling the peace of mind after receiving food. I have also seen many visitors
with thin faces eagerly walk towards your food box, feeling the joy after
receiving food.” She knows the feeling,
and can now witness it in others.
She, like many people in
our area, is an immigrant. I find such beauty
seeing her experience life in America thru “new eyes”. So many things she witnesses through her
volunteer work with Kindness Activist are firsts for her. Christmas caroling – oh, that was so fun to
see her discover. “I thought this was
only in MOVIES, but it is real! We
sing! All together, we sing for
neighbors. Such beauty!”.
And giving warm clothing
to strangers. She first saw the winter
gear displayed in front of our home and benefited from it. She needed warm clothes and felt so fortunate
to receive them. But now, a couple of
years later, now she not only receives the much-needed clothing, but she
shares it, too. I have seen her
quite literally give a stranger the shirt or coat off her back. The gloves off her cold hands. She wrote to me, “We supply clothes for the
unknown, and supply winter clothing. People
get hats, scarf, gloves, hand warmer.
They stand in the snow, the smiling on their faces no money can buy. That was real smiling from their heart and
every cell, kindness is not only a word in America, it is a real life here.”
Small acts. Not flashy.
Not newsworthy. Tiny acts of
kindness that create ripples. Ripples
that are spreading, creating even more kindness.
For a long time, this
friend basically survived on canned sardines from the Little Yellow Free
Pantry. They nourished her, and she ate
tin after tin of them. One time when she
was at our home volunteering, a delightfully kind neighbor, Gary, walked up
with a donation: tins of sardines.
I called for our friend to
come meet this donor. I introduced
them. And oh – her smile. It was brighter than the sunshine that afternoon. “This man,” I explained, “This man is
bringing sardines to help fill the pantry.”
She was so grateful. She thanked him profusely and explained the
story of how she had survived on the same exact food from the same exact
source.
The two have now become
friends. The donor and the recipient,
both thankful for one another. He helped
arrange an art show for her which fueled her creativity and her soul.
One afternoon recently I came
home to find this volunteer working hard on our porch as she so often
does. We had a long chat, and then she
told me, “Today, I brought something for the yellow food box. I brought what Gary brought. I brought what helped me live. I brought a can of sardines. It is only one can, I do not have much. But I am thankful for Gary, for the food box,
for the sardines. So, I share the
sardines.”
Small acts of kindness.
Small, but life changing.
Making a difference in the
world.
Making it a kinder place.
One winter coat. One cup of cocoa. One gift from Santa.
And one tin of sardines at a time.
Happy holidays to
all. May 2026 bring peace, joy, and
kindness. May we keep our eyes and our
hearts open and notice even the small acts of kindness. For it is those acts that will change the
world.
