One act of kindness...

Kindness is defined as "the act or the state of being kind, being marked by good and charitable behavior, pleasant disposition, and concern for others." 

Synonyms are: humanity, generosity, compassion.  

I stumbled onto a blog last week - completely by chance, through a link on Twitter - and found myself reading posts written by a grief counselor, author, and hospice worker. As I read, I couldn't help but find myself relating to a lot of things she said even though my situation (can I call it that?) is completely opposite than those which she wrote of. I commented on one of her posts and later that day I had received an e-mail back along with a two part post on her blog. In all three of those things were some of the kindest thoughts and wishes - from a complete stranger.

How is it that someone who had never met me was able to say things to me that really reached into my soul and touched my heart? Things that were so relatable and significant to where I am at this point in my life. It really made me realize that grief - all kinds of it - truly brings people together whether you know them or not. 

After realizing that, and thinking about it for a few days, one message was ringing clearly (one that should have always been clear) and it was to not judge others. Everyone has either experienced grief or is grieving right now. Everyone handles it differently and no two situations are the same. Something that I tried my hardest to remember in the early weeks was that all of my closest friends (who never left my side) had also lost a friend. My parents & sister had lost a part of their family. It wasn't just myself and Alex's family - it was everyone who ever met him (because trust me, if you met him, you loved him). 

So not only did a complete stranger show incredible kindness towards me, she got me thinking about my actions towards other people. 

Choose words wisely, show compassion, and try not to judge others (or yourself) too harshly. We have one life to live, and I would like to live the rest of mine knowing that my actions and words helped rather than hurt others. 

(The blog that I referred to is: The Miracle of Hospice)