A CUP OF KINDNESS - let's chat

Grab something to drink, this is going to be a long one...

When I plan out my blogging editorial calendar each month I always leave Saturdays open knowing that I want my chatting with you to be current news.  Each week my hope is that these visits will be encouraging words between friends, but today my heart is heavy and I struggled to find something positive to talk about.

pretty measuring cups

As the events across the country have unfolded and without taking a stand on the individual things
that have occurred, I am left wondering what we as individuals can do to perpetuate hope?  What measure of kindness can we each perform that will reinforce the good and help to extinguish the ugly?

So I started thinking about my week.  What touched me in a positive way?  What small thing did a stranger do that made me smile?  As I started to compile a quick list, it became evident that I didn't have to think very hard to find a few and I could have easily filled up a page if I really tried.  I thought I'd offer you just a sample to get you thinking, too...

measuring cups

Home grown fruit gifted by a neighbor...

I try to walk every morning (it doesn't always happen, but I try) and I always go the same way in our neighborhood so I tend to see the same people and their routines quite often.  This week as I was passing by the home of an elderly white man I have never met before, he motioned for me to stop and asked me to wait a minute.  He reached into his garage freezer and he brought me out a bag of frozen peaches from his tree.

For no reason other than a cup of kindness.

stacked measuring cups

A tribe of fellow parents of campers helping to corral and entertain a two year old...

This week my eight year old grandson was at dirt camp which is a week long day camp in our local mountains.  On Thursday evening the families are invited up to watch a skit they've been working on and tour the campgrounds.  I went along with my two year old grandson...a two year old and a whole lot of dirt...need I say more.  It might have been impossible to watch the skit had it not been for the other grown ups who were there and who helped me keep my youngest grandson in tow, particularly an African American couple.

For no reason other than a cup of kindness.

quarter cup measuring cup

A whole mint plant gifted when all I needed was a couple of mint leaves...

As I mentioned before when I walk our neighborhood I tend to see people out doing what they do every morning.  This one corner house I pass has the most prolific fruit and vegetable gardens surrounding their home both front yard and (from what I can see when I tip toe and peek) the backyard as well.  As I was walking I was making a mental list of what I needed to get done that day and happened to remember that I forgot to buy mint for a recipe when I was at the grocery store.  It dawned on me that this one particular neighbor has lots of mint growing and I thought I would be bold enough to ask her, a middle aged Asian woman who I had never talked to before, for a sprig or two if she was outside when I walked by.  She was...and I did.  Not only did she graciously give me more than I needed but she also asked if I would like a cutting she had potted up to take home with me?  The cutting turned out to be a full grown plant!

For no other reason than a cup of kindness.

One cup measuring cup

I am a middle aged hispanic woman.  Normally I wouldn't have thought of or even mentioned the race of my fellow life sojourners but this week it hit me hard that our differences don't have to define and dictate our actions.  We can treat each other kindly for no other reason than it's the right thing to do.  I am not so naive as to not see the injustice in the world.  I know it's there...I have experienced it first hand myself but I also know that while I can't control the way others behave, I can control how I do.

I can acknowledge a stranger with a smile and a kind word, I can offer assistance when I see it's needed, I can gift a stranger with more than they asked for.

For no other reason than a cup of kindness.

measuring cups

It can be so easy to be swallowed up by the meanness and hate in the world and lose sight of the everyday goodness and blessings around us.  It takes intentional thinking and living to fight the darkness of evil with Goodness and Light.  Won't you be that light with me?

xo, Patty

Check out this link to read other "let's chat" posts.


12 comments

  1. We all want to be loved, and to love someone. We all want to be safe. We all want our children to be happy and safe. As a medic, I can tell you we all bleed red and feel pain. The division in our wonderful country is not patriotic, it is not safe, and it is not Christian. Each of us needs to think before we say something derogatory about someone else. All of this death and division is horrible. I come to your blog every day for a bit of peace and a smile. Thank you for that.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yes, RAKs are such good things (random acts of kindness). I try to do it as much as I can and when the opportunity arises. It saddens me so much to see the hate in this country and the injustice against people, no matter what their race. I think most people in the US though, ARE kind and fair and just and only want positive things for themselves, their families and friends, and for this country. That is what gives me hope.

    ReplyDelete
  3. patty, I am glad you live in such a nice neighborhood. Sounds like some very kind people live there with you. We all need to be nice, or stay away from others if we can't be kind at least. If some one treats us mean, we need to be tough and not meet them on their low level. I try my best to stay away from mean grumpy people. LOL. Speaking of being nice...today I received your sweet little heart in the mail...for a minute I thought Emma was going to ask me for it. :):) She sure was looking and smiling at it. Thank you so very much Patty. This is special to me. I am glad to be one of your blog friends. Blessings to you, xoxo, Susie

    ReplyDelete
  4. Neat post and so true!! A cup of kindness includes sending a friend a precious little heart. Made my day! Do I owe you for it? I love it.

    Judy

    ReplyDelete
  5. This was a great post. We need to focus on kindness with so much hate in the world.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Patty, you know we live in the Dallas area and we are just so stunned and sad now. We were talking today about different ways we can actually make a difference in a world that feels so big and out of control. Small acts done regularly really are the way to impact the world. Thank you for the reminder. ♥

    ReplyDelete
  7. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Love your cups and plates patterns. Are your cups all measuring cups and are they ceramic?
    So great your neighbors have noticed you walking in neighborhood and extended friendliness. Sure makes life more tolerable when kindness and friendliness is shown, can make somebody's day.
    The hate and nastiness shown by people too often distresses me, makes me wonder what world will be like when grandkids are grown up with own families, that time is coming too soon as youngest is 16 and oldest is 26. Have 3 others in between and lost one grandson to cancer on June 8th. Still having hard time with that as his Mother wouldn't let us see him, send him messages on Facebook or go to his celebration of life yesterday afternoon even tho my son told me twice we could go. He called last Saturday hollering at me saying I had upset his wife, we couldn't go.
    Sure hope if you have daughter-in-law she isn't like ours who has been awful to us since they married 26 yrs. ago cause we don't have money or live in fancy house, drive expensive car. Just regular seniors trying to survive.
    Have wonderful weekend and enjoy your neighbors

    ReplyDelete
  9. I was talking with a few friends after church this morning and we are baffled at all that is going on in the world. We talked about this very thing, we need to be kind to one another. It seems that everyone is so polarized that we have forgotten how to be respectful & kind, embracing our differences--how boring it would be if we all were the same. Sending you a "cup of kindness" across the miles!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Yes, we all need to be looking for ways to share our cups of kindness. A beautiful post. Thank you for sharing your heart.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Well said Patty. I think if we all poured out a cup of kindness into someone elses life daily the world would be a better place.

    ReplyDelete

© Lemons and Larkspur. Design by FCD.