Kindness heals, forgives and exudes love. Benevolence and goodness rise from a soft place in your heart. It is a vulnerable spot. Yet, when you reach in, locate this power full of grace, embody its meaning and generously give it away – you find strength and peace. As you show amiability, you engender more of it. Furthermore, an overwhelming sentiment of gratitude fills your spirit. A great sense of abundance embodies the awareness that you are the breath of life.

Recognize the string of events as you practice kindness. Witness the wonders of miracles and apply good will in all of your affairs. Kindness is just a choice to respond with Love.

I respect myself and others by treating everyone with courtesy.

THINK ACTION: List books that have taught you valuable truths. Next time you open your mouth, send a text, email or letter – ask yourself three questions attributed to Rumi: Is it true? Is it kind? Is it necessary? Or use the Al-Anon THINK acronym: Is it thoughtful, honest, intelligent, necessary and kind?

When another is unkind, we get to ask – what are they afraid of? What is going on in their life? Where is this stemming from? Unquestionably, fear and pain are involved. A person – writhing in agony from living inside of their own skin – lashes out. Have you ever seen a wounded animal and how it snarls? When we see an unfortunate soul suffering, we need not take it personally. Their harshness is not directed towards us. This objectivity allows us to breed kindheartedness.

We do not have to co-exist with unkindness or approve it. But, we get to analyze and realize the anguish behind it. Then with loving detachment, we say a healing prayer for the tormented person. In this manner, we avoid resentment, but stay in our truth.

And, when you have been inappropriate, you get to look at what is underneath your cruel or rude behavior. In fact, it is a distress signal. What lies beneath the snarky, bitter or snappy remark?

Integrity is doing the right thing even when no one is looking. And, when we demonstrate kindness, no individual can dispute, we have acted in the proper way. Mother Teresa said, “Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are endless.” The very nature of kindness benefits us. First, we learn to understand, love and show tenderness to self – and then, how to approach the world at large with honorable compassion.

From up coming book:

“Kindness is more important than wisdom, and the recognition of this is the beginning of wisdom.” – Theodore Isaac Rubin

At a diminutive yet spiritually charged Unity Church bookstore I picked up a slight, rose-colored publication titled, A Short Course in Kindness by Margot Silk Forrest. Its subtitle described my opinion on life – “a little book on the importance of love and the relative unimportance of just about everything else.”

A collection of wind chimes hung by the door and along the open windows. They tinkled, clanged and pealed. I stood inside the tiny shop, perusing the paperback. A breeze and another patron walked in. I turned the pages to skim its contents. I pondered. Once again, I was reminded that the foundation of the great teachers, sermons, philosophies and core religious principles were the same. Identical in intention, varied in message, Love was, and is – the answer, the purpose and the journey.

Of course, I bought the now treasured, small work and have often gifted it to others. There are many such newly discovered reads where I find jewels of sage advice.