Thought for the Week: Kindness
Ernest Hall reflects on showing kindness
A month or so ago one of those worshipping in our Sunday Meeting rose from her seat and ministered to us about ‘kindness’. She pointed out that it wasn’t always easy to love our neighbour and that it is nearly always very difficult to love our enemies. It was, however, always possible, and not at all difficult, to show kindness to our neighbours and to our enemies and – who knows? – perhaps sometimes receipt of that act of kindness may be the first step towards that enemy becoming a friend and neighbour.
This ministry has been on my mind on many occasions since that Sunday. It brought back to my mind a verse that my mother used sometimes to share with me. I can remember the content even if I can’t remember every word:
So many gods, so many creeds, so many paths that wind and wind;
While all our sad world really needs, is just the gift of being kind.
It’s certainly not Keats or Wordsworth, but it makes its point. My mother was always a bit doubtful about it. As a practising member of the Church of England she valued those creeds – but she remembered those two lines of verse just the same.
I am ninety-five and have very limited mobility. So, I am nowadays a recipient rather than a dispenser of kindness. I am amazed, as I drive my mobility scooter round the aisles of the local supermarket, when total strangers offer to pick up purchases for me from upper shelves or other places that are inaccessible, or almost inaccessible, to me. They help me, too, at the checkout by taking my purchases out of the basket on my scooter and putting it on the checkout counter. The checkout lady (it usually is a lady) also helps me, sometimes putting my purchases in a bag and then putting the bag in the basket on my scooter.
I hope that I always thank those who have helped me for their kindness – and I thank God too, who has clearly prompted that kindness.
I said earlier that I was amazed at the acts of kindness that I receive from complete strangers. I shouldn’t be. I have been a Quaker for nearly seventy years and should surely have remembered that the one thing about which Quakers are sure is that each one of us has a divine spark (‘that of God’, ‘the Light of Christ’, ‘the True Light’), that urges us to kindness, forgiveness and peace. I should have been amazed that there are a few – very few – fellow shoppers who regard me as a nuisance.
A few days ago I heard one Friend say to another, ‘She’s the kindest person I know’. There is surely no higher accolade.
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