Kindness Never Goes Out of Style
4/8/22 2:38 PM
Glad to see that last week’s Word of Encouragement, which featured a New York City bus driver, resonated with a bunch of readers. For those that missed the note last week, this bus driver had a message for the disgruntled riders on the bus: “Drop your troubles into my hand when you get off the bus - I’ll throw them all in when I cross the Hudson River on my way back to the terminal.”
The reason for sharing that story is because today, the things that make the headlines tend to highlight “big” stories. So Will Smith slapping Chris Rock gets a lot of attention while the good deeds that people perform on a daily basis get overlooked.
So it is not too surprising that on occasion I will meet people who wonder if what they are doing will make a difference in somebody else’s life. But then there are those people who exemplify the spirit of the boy from the "starfish story" that I shared in an earlier Word of Encouragement.
Many of you know that story about a boy who was walking along the water after a storm had washed up thousands of starfish to shore. When a man saw him doing this he went up and asked the boy what he was doing. The boy responded that he was picking up the starfish and tossing them back into the water.
Astonished, the man pointed out that there were thousands of starfish on the shore and asked: "Do you think you’re making a difference?" The boy responded by throwing a starfish back into the water and pointing out the fact: “I am making a difference for that starfish.”
This week’s story features a “starfish tosser” who happens to work at a Burger King.
In a story that was told by Rebecca Boening, and posted on LinkedIn, Rebecca described how she was driving her car west on I–40 when she experienced significant physical difficulty that was brought on by virtue of the fact that she was diabetic and her blood sugar dropped to a dangerous level.
Luckily a Burger King restaurant was at the upcoming exit. In Rebecca’s words, here is what happened next:
"As I stumbled to placing my order I mentioned to the voice on the speaker that I was diabetic and in need of food. Low blood sugar makes it difficult to think or act. I pulled up to the first window in order to pay for my food. I was shocked to see Burger King employee Tina Hardy running toward the front of my car. She squeezed in between the front of my car and the building just to bring me a small serving of ice cream.
Tina later explained that her husband was also diabetic and she could tell that I needed help. After paying I pulled up to Tina’s window and she gave me my food. She instructed me to park across the driveway so that she could keep an eye on me until I felt better.
After eating, I waited for a break in business so that I could return to Tina’s window. I then took this picture and spoke with Tina’s supervisor telling him what she did for me."
Tina-300x417Rebecca closed her message with this request:
“If you appreciate what the special woman did please share the story. Hopefully Tina Hardy will receive the recognition that she truly deserves from the public and from the big bosses at Burger King."
I’d like to honor Rebecca’s request to share her story. In doing so, perhaps some of you out there who are wondering whether you are making a difference will think about the little things you do that might make a big difference in somebody’s life.
Perhaps they haven’t told you, or perhaps you have not seen the fruit of your labor harvested, but I know that many of you will agree with me when I say “kindness never goes out of style.” And caring acts can make a huge difference in somebody’s life and make this world a better place.
In the Gospel of Matthew, we are reminded that the acts of kindness that we do - whether or not they are recognized or appreciated by others - always matter. As it says in Matthew, "For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me."
Have a great weekend,
Mike
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The reason for sharing that story is because today, the things that make the headlines tend to highlight “big” stories. So Will Smith slapping Chris Rock gets a lot of attention while the good deeds that people perform on a daily basis get overlooked.
So it is not too surprising that on occasion I will meet people who wonder if what they are doing will make a difference in somebody else’s life. But then there are those people who exemplify the spirit of the boy from the "starfish story" that I shared in an earlier Word of Encouragement.
Many of you know that story about a boy who was walking along the water after a storm had washed up thousands of starfish to shore. When a man saw him doing this he went up and asked the boy what he was doing. The boy responded that he was picking up the starfish and tossing them back into the water.
Astonished, the man pointed out that there were thousands of starfish on the shore and asked: "Do you think you’re making a difference?" The boy responded by throwing a starfish back into the water and pointing out the fact: “I am making a difference for that starfish.”
This week’s story features a “starfish tosser” who happens to work at a Burger King.
In a story that was told by Rebecca Boening, and posted on LinkedIn, Rebecca described how she was driving her car west on I–40 when she experienced significant physical difficulty that was brought on by virtue of the fact that she was diabetic and her blood sugar dropped to a dangerous level.
Luckily a Burger King restaurant was at the upcoming exit. In Rebecca’s words, here is what happened next:
"As I stumbled to placing my order I mentioned to the voice on the speaker that I was diabetic and in need of food. Low blood sugar makes it difficult to think or act. I pulled up to the first window in order to pay for my food. I was shocked to see Burger King employee Tina Hardy running toward the front of my car. She squeezed in between the front of my car and the building just to bring me a small serving of ice cream.
Tina later explained that her husband was also diabetic and she could tell that I needed help. After paying I pulled up to Tina’s window and she gave me my food. She instructed me to park across the driveway so that she could keep an eye on me until I felt better.
After eating, I waited for a break in business so that I could return to Tina’s window. I then took this picture and spoke with Tina’s supervisor telling him what she did for me."
Tina-300x417Rebecca closed her message with this request:
“If you appreciate what the special woman did please share the story. Hopefully Tina Hardy will receive the recognition that she truly deserves from the public and from the big bosses at Burger King."
I’d like to honor Rebecca’s request to share her story. In doing so, perhaps some of you out there who are wondering whether you are making a difference will think about the little things you do that might make a big difference in somebody’s life.
Perhaps they haven’t told you, or perhaps you have not seen the fruit of your labor harvested, but I know that many of you will agree with me when I say “kindness never goes out of style.” And caring acts can make a huge difference in somebody’s life and make this world a better place.
In the Gospel of Matthew, we are reminded that the acts of kindness that we do - whether or not they are recognized or appreciated by others - always matter. As it says in Matthew, "For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me."
Have a great weekend,
Mike
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