Be the Sunshine in Someone's Cloudy Day

I enjoy a morning walk every day.  The neighborhood is quiet, sometimes I see critters out and about, and I make a point to quite literally stop and smell the roses.  It's a lovely way to begin my day.

One morning this week I saw one of my neighbors out walking, then he stopped, went back a few feet, picked up someone's newspaper from the end of their driveway, and carried it up to their door mat.  It got me wondering.  Does he know the people who live in that house?  Why did he make the effort to move their newspaper closer to their house?  Is it difficult for the person who lives there to make it out to the end of the driveway?  Are they ill?  Elderly? Disabled?

I thought about it as I walked, about how that small, random act of kindness might impact the recipient, and it reminded me of all the good things, and good people in our world.  It's a nice thing to remember, and a timely one.

I also thought about the quote, "No one can do everything, but everyone can do something", by Max Lucado - and a related quote from Lily Tomlin:

As we watch the news and see stories that shake us, effect us, and sadden us, I think it's important to remember that every single one of us is a somebody.  We are not powerless, and neither are our students.  We may not be able to do a lot, but we can do something.

Which is why I love these two books!  One Smile by Cindy McKinley follows the people impacted by a small girl's friendly smile, and shows how they each pay kindness forward.  It's simple, sweet, and young children can easily relate to the message.  If your students need to see how they can be kind citizens and impact their community, you'll love this book!  I'd recommend it for students up to 2nd grade.

Magical Hands by Marjorie Barker will appeal to 3rd-6th grade students.  It's a lovely story of how one man surprises his friends by doing their chores for them early on the morning of their birthdays, and shows how the little things are often really the biggest things of all.  Kindness matters.

I've made a point this week to try to practice doing random acts of kindness: smiling at people, stopping to talk to a neighbor, letting someone change lanes in front of me, greeting the grocery store cashier by name, sending a card to a friend... little things that I hope will make a difference.

Is it enough?  No.  Are there bigger issues that need tackling?  Yes.  Will we solve the world's problems with a smile and a little kindness?  If only it were so!  Still, I believe that if we all do something, we can make a difference!  What will YOU do today?

I've looked for the author of these lovely words, and can't identify him/her.  If you know where they came from, please let me know in the comments, I'd like to give credit.  The beautiful clip art is from Kari Bolt.