A Little Kindness

 3/18/2021

Colossians 3:12 "Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience."

Today was my first day back to work after the sudden loss of our puppy. I know it may seem odd to take a few days off for a pet, but she was truly family, and the shock and grief are intense. What I did not anticipate was how her loss would bring up all the loss of this past year, making it bubble over within me. The emotional release has been cathartic. I am blessed that I work at an organization with lovely people who are very understanding, and who put no pressure on me to return. I was able to share my emotional state with them in an email yesterday, and tell them about how many things this year were right under the surface. I think a lot of people have this same thing going on in our world right now.

I was very moved today when I walked into work and saw a beautiful bouquet of flowers and a card from one of my co-workers and her husband. When I saw them, I smiled through tears, and as I am always the first one there, I was able to take a moment. This co-worker lost her pup a little over a year ago, and she is still feeling that pain. She truly knows, like many of us, how much a beloved member of the family our pups are. I think, because of this understanding, she was motivated to do an act of kindness for me. I cannot tell you how this was a balm to my soul, and helped get me through my workday. 

This evening, I am thinking about how a small gesture of kindness and love can speak for us when we have no words. It is an action, and makes us feel like we can do maybe a little something to ease the pain or sorrow of another. It is, I feel, a pure form of showing someone support and love, and helps us to show the love of Jesus. I know that I could certainly be better at these kind gestures for others. It is now another area of my walk that I can focus on and implement with God's help.