“The best portion of a good man’s life is in his little nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and of love.”

– William Wordsworth

I am not a great night driver.  My eyes always have taken a little longer than some to adjust to sudden changes in the light; and when oncoming headlights come out of the darkness, I find myself navigating by using the white line near the shoulder of the road until my irises find the spot that allows me to focus again.  I am the proud fan of a high school basketball player.  Unlike warm-weather sports whose contests take place outdoors under sunny skies, basketball is a winter sport.  Although the trip to a game might take place in daylight, by the time the game has ended we travel home after dark.  With my sweetheart’s work schedule making it impossible for me to ride with him, we often would find ourselves miles from home with two vehicles and a white-knuckle drive home for the woman with sensitive eyes.

Early in the season this year, I must have been complaining about my predicament.  The mom of one of my granddaughter’s teammates offered me a ride to an upcoming game.  With a small act of kindness, she solved my large problem.  Her generosity extended beyond that first ride, and she has continued to go the extra four miles to pick me up each time our games take us out of town.  If you ask Deb, she will tell you that it’s no big deal.  I guess you could say that it’s a small kindness; but it feels huge to me.

All of this should remind us that even though we might see our small, uneventful acts of kindness as not worth remembering, their impact may be quite memorable for those who receive them.  We should remember the warm feeling of gratitude that fills us when people are kind and do our best to deliver the same to all who might benefit from the things we think are nothing.  They just might mean the world to someone in need of a small kindness.

Last night at the dinner table, I told my sweetheart, “There’s no need to worry about getting me to the game tomorrow.  I have a ride.”  Then I heard myself going on to say, “You know, I didn’t even have to ask.  Before I had the chance to contact Deb, she already had offered.”  That is something very special; and I hope to follow her example of gracious giving.  And I realize that the two go hand in hand — giving and gratitude.  The more we practice both of them, the easier it becomes to live lives that are filled with both.  Thank you, Deb, for your small acts of kindness.  They may be small, but they fill me to the brim with thankfulness.