Shine On

Two years ago today, I made this evergreen; 

the message that wafts from its branches still applies today.

Please lift up the families who were involved ...

 as we remember our friends in Newtown ... and hope for better ...

for our children ... for our world.

I believe that kindness has the power to heal and transform.

The Smile Cards on our cars Friday afternoon, for example, which  launched us into our weekend, touched the hearts of our school family in a very special way.

From our first graders ... 

in Jennifer Quigley's class ...

wishing us well ...

and sharing a smile. 

Sometimes it's the little things

that mean the most. I know it made a lot of friends smile ...

and more than that ... it made us want to pay it forward.

Then, another intentional act of kindness,

a warm email from a reader, thanking me for my work

and sending me a copy of her Christmas poem.

Ah, the gift of words can evoke such powerful imagery

and festive feelings.

And if that didn't bring enough joy ...

I was sitting all alone yesterday afternoon

at a local Barnes & Noble book signing,

without (m)any customers to speak of.

And after two hours of not very many people two people to talk to, in walks Amy, a counselor at the Junior High in town,

through the front doors with a huge smile on her face 

and her precious family in tow. 

{Her husband agreed to play paparazzi to capture the memory.}

It's not like they were in the area, either. She made the trip on purpose, intentionally, to surprise and support me. Not only does she buy a book for her baby girl's collection, but she insists on treating me to a salted caramel mocha from the adjacent Starbucks. A planned act of kindness ... it doesn't get any sweeter than that. And it makes me want to do something kind 

for someone else.

I'll be the first to admit that sometimes it's really challenging to shine on in a world where people can be self-centered and mean and violent acts take a front-row seat in the news. Trust me, I get it.

But 

when we

intentionally 

search for 

ways to be kind,

one person at a time,

one vehicle at a time,

one Smile Card at a time,

one Starbucks drink at a time,

our light will shine and eventually brighten 

even the darkest nooks and crannies in the world.

Now that's something transformative to smile about!

And it will be

a coveted gift

under your tree.