Don’t Neglect Little Acts of Caring!
By: Dr. Synesio Lyra Jr.
A small, generous offer you make to a poor or homeless person does not lose its value for that reason when you happen to extend a similar gesture toward others of a higher status in society. The ultimate worth of what you provide is in the contribution made, and the sincerity of heart with which it was presented!
Kindness is a quality which is to be shared indiscriminately to every fellow human, regardless of one’s station in life. It can be a friendly greeting at a public place, the answer to an inquiry made, directions provided to a certain location, a personal word of cheer, or anything else, great or small, which can contribute to one’s wellbeing at that moment, on that day!
Furthermore, acts of caring and kindness do make a positive difference in the life of the one who receives it without leaving the one who gives it unrewarded. As I often say, there’s no kindness you extend to others that won’t come back to you in multiplied ways! Any good deed has the quality of a boomerang. It’s also a seed which keeps on yielding a rich harvest, many times over!
No one should be exalted on account of giving neither must anyone be diminished as the one receiving. It is a privilege to participate in the give and take which is indispensable in the smoother functioning of any society. As social creatures, all are responsible to one’s neighbor as positive affirmation of divine mandates, and as contributions for peace on earth through mutual aid! “People are thankful for acts of kindness, no matter how little,” as wisely observed.
Never consider as too small something which will make an indelible, permanent impression in another life, which you can rather easily accomplish! By the same token, receive with joy and gratitude whatever good that is extended to you even if below your own standards or short of your immediate need.
I still have in my files drawings made by my children when they were small, which so lovingly they offered to me after completion. I continue to collect similar expressions of love from my young grandsons who also draw something on paper, or cut and paste to offer me! Frequently I show those to them as proof of my appreciation, my love, my respect, and as a stimulus for them to act in this fashion toward others as well. “The ripples of kindness keep going out indefinitely” as Dr. James R. Kok recorded in one of his books.
“It is more blessed to give than to receive,” but those who receive anything also need to give the sincere gratitude of their heart to anyone who presents them with such gift, albeit insignificant as it may ultimately be! It’s often easier to open our wallets or checkbooks and make a contribution to people and causes we shall never physically see; it’s far more impacting when our offers are accompanied by our physical presence as well!
