Be Kind

Photo by Suhyeon Choi on Unsplash

I was recently “gifted” with some of my old papers- elementary school report cards, nursery school art, and a Sunday School certificate signed by Mrs. Betty Engle.

As a child, I saw Betty as not only kind, but elegant and charming. She had a grace beyond a typical Midwesterner. I was a little jealous of my friend who was able to call her “grandmother.”

Ms. Betty passed away this week, and I wonder if her grandchildren and great-grandchildren felt what I have felt after a loved one passed away.

My world was upended. I would never see or speak to this person again (although I did ask God to give my grandma a message). Yet, almost unceremoniously, the rest of the world marched on. People in the grocery store acted like nothing had changed. People laughed and planned fun things. It seemed wrong for them to act normal when I was in such pain. Of course, strangers had no way to know how I was feeling, and no reason to act differently.

Rev. Dr. John Watson, a Scottish author and theologian, was thought to be the first one who wrote, “Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.” All the faces we see on a regular basis: at school, the office, the grocery store… we don’t know what people are going through. We can be patient; we can be kind. We don’t know how much a kind word or gesture can mean to someone who is struggling.