Good morning!
In addition to the annual \”Advent Calendar,\” I thought that I\’d give Lent a try as well. Lent is the 40-day period leading up to Easter (technically 46 days if you count the Sundays). Lent always begins on Ash Wednesday. You know, the day after \”Fat Tuesday\” AKA \”Mardi Gras.\”
Lent is considered a time to contemplate, repent, and often abstain to emulate Jesus\’ 40 days in the wilderness. I wanted to give myself another goal: Kindness. If we\’ve learned nothing in the past year, we\’ve learned that we all (everyone, everywhere) need to be kinder to one another. Even the folks who aren\’t so kind to us.
Maybe even especially those who aren\’t kind to us. They could use a good refresher course on kindness most of all.
In his 1902 book The Homely Virtues author Ian Maclaren (the pen name of John Watson) writes:
\”This man beside us also has a hard fight with an unfavouring world, with strong temptations, with doubts and fears, with wounds of the past which have skinned over, but which smart when they are touched. It is a fact.And when this occurs to us we are moved to deal kindly with him, to bid him be of good cheer, to let him understand that we are also fighting a battle, we are bound not to irritate him, nor press hardly upon him, nor help his lower self. We must feel as a brother towards the man beside us, and to say to him things that we should like to have said to us, and treat him as we should desire to be treated when our hands are hanging down and our hearts are heavy.\”
Today\’s \”Kindness Challenge\” is: Write a note to someone and tell them why you appreciate them.
Have a wonderful day, everyone!
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