As we bid farewell to 2013, we would like to send you our warmest wishes for a healthy, prosperous, and happy new year. While the past twelve months have brought many of us a collection of memories that we will treasure throughout the rest of our lives, let us celebrate the birth of a new year as we welcome the exciting opportunities that await us in 2014.
Although we’ve said goodbye to another joyous Christmas season, and many of us have packed away our Christmas decorations, may we all try to remember not to pack away our compassion for others. Let us make this new year one that is filled with peace, love, and happiness as we focus on creating a brighter tomorrow for each and every person we encounter.
Inspiration for a New Year filled with kindness
Just a few weeks before Christmas in 2013, something special happened that’s almost unheard of in today’s busy world. My husband, having worked hard all day, ordered a pizza. It was late, the banks were closed, and he had no cash. He had intended on paying for his meal with his debit card, but when he arrived at the store, he realized that he’d forgotten to activate his new card. No problem, right? He should be able to do that with a quick phone call and be on his way home in no time, correct? Well, for some reason, his plan didn’t work, and he was told that his debit card wouldn’t be active for 48 hours.
Desperate for a solution, my husband called me for help. While he was on the phone with me, a kind stranger who had been walking in the frigid weather happened into the store and heard of my husband’s dilemma. Without saying a word, the man paid for my husbands meal and had disappeared into the blowing snow before my husband realized what was happening. Thankfully, my husband received his meal, and we made a plan to pay it forward.
Just a few days later, my husband returned to the store to make another purchase. Ironically, the same cashier just happened to be working and my husband asked if she had seen the stranger again. She smiled, and pointed to the man standing in line behind my husband. As the man approached the counter and asked for ten dollars in fuel, it was obvious that he was short on funds. My husband placed a $20 bill in his hand, thanked him, and walked away.
As we welcome 2014, let us all take a few moments each day to pay this same type of kindness forward to others. Maybe we will encounter people who are short on funds, or maybe they will simply be having a difficult day. Whether we provide them with money, gifts, or our time, let us remember that we all have difficult situations from time to time, and when we lend each other a caring hand, we can make everyone’s day a little brighter.
Have you ever had an experience where somebody lent you a hand when you needed it most? Tell us about it, and let’s inspire others to pay it forward as we begin this happy new year.
Creative Commons Attribution: Permission is granted to repost this article in its entirety with credit to ChristmasGifts.com and a clickable link back to this page.
