Oh the joy that fills the heart when an act of kindness has been imparted.

Everywhere you look on T. V. these days, you find another reality show. If they are not building a home for someone in need, they are granting wishes and making dreams come true for good people.

It should not surprise us at all that some people still are out there giving all they've got to help others.

But, I don't hear any stories very often around my house of to many people going out of their way to help anyone, more or less each other.

Now come on. Lets face it. Life is busy. We are tired when we come home from work. Home and family take up all our time. Why can't someone else do it?

Well did you ever think that maybe some higher power allowed you to see that your neighbors door needed fixing first? Or the elderly neighbor just managed to pull up at the same time you did, with her groceries and someone was needed to help her?

I hear about people complaining about the old guy down the street, how he hardly ever mows his lawn. Well if it bothers them so bad, why couldn't they just knock on his door and say Sir can I help you mow your lawn? Maybe they would find out he had hip or knee surgery and he was not just letting it go. He actually couldn't do it for himself.

A lot of people were hurt to the soul when 911 happened. But, it brought us to our knees and gave us an inner strength. America needed to be reunited with the spirit it had been built upon.

Katrina brought devastation to millions of people and families were left without homes. But, it's been a long time since America has opened up and given it's own people such loving acts of kindness.
Those acts are still being done today.

Kindness can touch the coldest of hearts. It is a very precious possession to be kindhearted. If each one of us would do just the little things that are placed in our path each day for our neighbors,
this world would be a much happier place.

Even the churches have failed to do their job. Some no longer feed the hungry. Some look upon the homeless as a problem to be solved by the government.

Who is to say that one of us could not get sick, go through our savings if we are fortunate to have a savings, then not be able to pay our bills. Could we end up homeless?

I don't think there is a homeless mother out there living in a shelter who chose to be that way. She wants a safe place to sleep and a home and toys for her child just as much as we do.

It is time to teach our children about kindness and compassion. How do we teach this lesson? We teach by showing, by doing, by donating our time. From a bake sale for the little league, to a spaghetti dinner for a child with cancer.

Inspiring stories and good ideas can be found at your fingertips. Just type kindness and hit go in your search field. You may run across a program called "Random acts of kindness" filled with stories of thanksgiving, done by neighbors like me and you.

Kindness softens the heart, strengthens the soul and provides fulfillment. So Be Kind.