joyful2beeblogs

You never know how an act of loving kindness will affect someone’s day–or even their life.

It was an uncharacteristically warm Halloween night several years ago. All of the trick or treaters had finished their “candy quests.” Since my husband had passed away two months before and my son had moved out of the house years before that, this Halloween had been pretty quiet.

I was watching television about 9 o’clock, when the doorbell rang. There was one more visitor it seemed. I opened the door to find my neighbor Jenny and her nine year old daughter, Rebecca, there. I invited them in, always glad to have company.

These neighbors were part of a sweet family, which included brother Ryan, sister, Danielle and their father Scott, who passed away about two years later. They lived four houses over from me in our cul de sac.

Our circle was always a close knit neighborhood. Many moved away and some of us got older, but we would all get together for a fall cookout each year. I watched some of these children grow from preschoolers to high school and beyond.

After the greetings, Jenny and Rebecca shared the activities of their evening. They had attended a church Halloween party. One contest was a “Guess the number of M&Ms in the candy jar.” The winner would of course win the jar and its contents. Rebecca, came the closest to the right amount and won the prize. She was very excited–but she didn’t eat any of the candy.

Rebecca, then only nine years old, thought of me after winning the jar of sweets and remembered I was by myself at home that night. She decided that she wanted to give the candy jar to me. As Rebecca shyly handed me the prize, I was overwhelmed by her love for me and my heart filled with even more love for this family.

Her compassion for me and saving that jar of candy-kindness for me was such a thoughtful and unselfish thing to do, especially for a child!

Be Kind to Someone

I still have the jar and plan to keep it, refilling it from time to time to share with others. I plan to tell them the story behind this sweet gift of love. People like Rebeccah and her family help to make life better for everyone around them. They make life special because they are special. Let’s try to be loving neighbors with each other. Do something nice for someone today and be a good neighbor. When someone does something nice for you, share their story to inspire others and remind them that every kindness matters.