In Search of the Human Spirit

The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation has declared February 11 through February 17 as Random Acts of Kindness Week. During this week everyone is encouraged to do a spontaneous act of kindness. Your act can be as simple as holding a door open for someone at the store or as grand as paying for someones meal at a restaurant. The point is do something nice that isn’t expected.

I did my random act today. I swap books at paperbackswap.com. There is a woman who I’ve met online that I’ve swapped with before. She orders books from me from time to time. I finished a book last night that I think she will like, so I slipped it into her order. I hope that she will enjoy it.

By adding an act of kindness to our days, we make the world a little brighter. While we all love getting big gifts, we often remember the small kindnesses the most. You might have been having a bad day and then a stranger gave you their place in line. You might have been flustered while waiting in a doctors office and the person waiting next to you struck up a conversation and made the time go quicker. Your teenager saw that you were tired and washed the dishes without being asked. We cherish these small moments because they make each day a little easier to get through.

Will you participate? If so, post a comment and tell us what you did this week to bring kindness to another human being. You can visit the Random Acts of Kindness website to see what others are doing.

Super Bown Sunday gave America a bit of history. for the first time, an African American coach brought a team to football’s biggest game. This time, both of the coaches were African Americans.

Lovie Smith of the Chicago Bears and Tuny Dungy of the Indianapolis Colts faced off in the Super Bowl. While Dungy gets all the accolades since his team won, Smith deserves his due as well. Both overcame the odds. They battled racism and good ol’ boy networks throughout their careers. They worked their way through the NFL system, then finally got the chance to prove themselves.

It seems appropriate that this first would happen right around Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s birthday. One more slice of the dream realized. With each first, we open doors for the next generation. May there be a day when we won’t even notice the color of another skin, but view them by their abilities, skills, and character.