Mary Ann
When I was a little girl, my mother would always say that when I did a kindness, I was earning my wings. I had no ideas what she was talking about until one day I realized I was earning my angel wings, a place in heaven. Boy, was that an epiphany!
We are living in a world where kindness is a vanishing commodity. There are still very kind people who go out of their way to help you. However, there is a lot of cruelty in the world and just plain meanness. They are not earning their wings.
We need to have grace with one another. It makes life a bit easier when we do. Etienne de Grellet famous quote summarizes this way of living. “I shall pass this way but once; any good that I can do or any kindness I can show to any human being: let me do it now. Let me not defer nor neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again.” Imagine if we all lived by that advice. No Hunger, No War, No Poverty, No Hate, No Bullying, No Hurt….
I have been blessed with kind people in my life, and I try hard to be kind to those in my orbit. As they say in the south, my life has been “an embarrassment of riches!” If, I ever win the lottery, I would have such great joy giving most of it away to help the world. Wouldn’t that be fun to make that happen?
When I look back on my life, there is an incident that showed me what real kindness is. I was perusing an antique shop, and my eyes landed on a cherry dresser that had 7 mirrors on it, and it was instantly love at first sight. What beautiful lady stood before this gorgeous piece of furniture when it was newly made? Well, I asked the shop owner how much it was. He said $1600. It might as well be $160,000. I was just recently divorced, and I had to provide for two children. Teaching did not pay enough to allow such a luxury. However, the owner said that the dresser was a consignment piece, and the owner of it was picking it up later in the week. I could talk to her and see if she would sell it for less.
So, I returned to the shop and met the lady who owned the dresser. I asked her if she were willing to sell it for less. She asked what I could pay. I pulled $500 out of the air knowing the piece was worth so much more. She said if I would give her $600, the dresser was mine. Well, $600 was also impossible for me to buy it, and I told her. She said that if I could send her $50 a month until it was paid off, I could have the dresser. This lady did not know me from Adam, yet she took a chance. She was trusting a young woman who fell in love with her antique dresser.
I came to know that she herself was a former teacher, divorced, and raised her children by herself. She had walked in my shoes and knew it was like to not to have much money. She wanted someone who loved the dresser to have it. That was me! For the following year, I sent a check each month and at the end of the year, the dresser was mine. I still have that beloved antique and forty years later, I have never forgotten the kindness that was extended to me. It may be just a piece of furniture, yet it actually was so much more. It was one person touching the heart of another, a lesson to remember for a lifetime. I have tried to pass this particular kindness on by giving most of the antiques that I no longer needed or wanted to someone who would love them. They are gifts!
So when you hear someone speak about passing kindness forward, remember when someone was kind to you, keep it in your heart, and earn your angel wings for a better world!!
Silver Sage Sisters 