Stories of Kindness: Anonymous

It all started with one fabric heart.

It had been a bad day for my mom. Discouraged and weary, the world felt dark for her. Then she spotted it, laying on the checkout counter at the library. It was a small fabric heart with a label saying to take it.

It was a small thing, but it brought joy to her in a moment she needed it. The heart hung in her room for a few years and the memory stuck with her. She thought about making hearts like the one she had found, but she never made the time.

And then 2020 came. 

The lockdown started and we had cashiers at our local grocery store, people we had known for a while, crying on our shoulder because of how poorly they were treated. We watched as people took out their anger on those working menial jobs who had no say in limits, mask mandates, or how much product their store had to sell.

We wanted to do something, and that’s when Mom remembered the heart. We pulled out a heart stencil, scrap fabric, ribbon, batting, and printed off some simple tags that expressed our gratitude for the work someone doing during hard times.

We sat down and we sewed sixty hearts. I come from a big family so it wasn’t hard. Even one of my sisters who didn’t like to sew was able to help make the simple project. We made those hearts and were excited to hand them out. We hoped we hadn’t made to many. I laugh now thinking about our concern.

We gave out the sixty hearts within a couple of weeks. It became a regular evening activity during the lockdown to make those hearts. We found handing a fabric heart to the clerk or waitress showed them in a tangible way they were seen and valued. 

It was a simple act of kindness, but one that had a huge impact. We had workers start crying, saying they had been ready to quit because all they got is cussed at day after day. We had people asking us about Jesus, because they saw that we were living out our faith. And we had people come up to us months later to tell us they still had their heart in their pocket or hanging in their car to remind them someone had seen them.

What can you do to make someone feel seen today?

-Anonymous

Instructions on how to make fabric hearts:

1. Use a stencil or freehand draw a two hearts onto cardboard one slightly smaller then the other. Cut these out

2. Using the larger heart, cut out two hearts from fabric

3. Using the smaller heart, cut out one from batting

4. Print off tags, punch a hole in one end and place on a short piece or ribbon

5. Place on larger fabric heart face down, then the batting heart, next, the ends of the ribbon in whatever part of the heart you want the tag to hang out, and then put the other large heart on top facing out.

6. Hand sew together using the blanket stich. Make sure to put a couple extra stiches to hold the ribbon in place

7. Give the completed heart to anyone you think needs to be reminded they are seen.

   
   

Reach farther

Reach farther than the standard, simple "How are you?" Show someone you care by asking them how they really are--spiritually, mentally, physically. Don't stop until you get a true answer, and then meet them right where they're at.

Kindness is contagious!

Examine the time you spend on social media

Social media can drain us, sometimes without our even realizing it. Yet, next thing we know, we are addicted and find it easier to post a comment to a blog or message an online friend than carry on a conversation with someone who is with us in the here and now, like our parents and siblings. Today, examine the time you spend on social media: is it productive? In what ways can (and should) you change your social media habits to allow for more time in your personal relationships with God and other people? You, like me, might find that stepping away from social media for a little while can help reduce your stress and add fruitfulness to your personal interactions.

Kindness is contagious!

Be Gentle

 "Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand." Philippians 4:5

Sometimes, it can be difficult to be gentle, like when a sibling is annoying you or a friend is accusing you of something you didn't do. Or maybe when you feel stressed and just want to vent off some of that pressure to those around you. This week, however, resolve to make an effort to be gentle. A kind word. A gentle touch. A whisper of encouragement. A smile. It goes a long way.

Kindness is contagious!

Give Up Your Free Time

 Nothing says "I care" like giving up your sacred spare time to do something with or for someone else. It doesn't have to be much, and it doesn't have to be long. But make it count.

Kindness is contagious!