Kindnesses

There once was a boy who never seemed to have enough food for lunch at school, and he definitely did not have a snack to eat at snack time. The girl who sat next to him in class noticed and quietly started sharing her snack with him. Eventually, she started bringing two snacks with her every day – one for herself and one for the boy.

He was a little embarrassed, but he never said no. They even started hanging out a little bit during recess.

Then came winter break. When he returned to school in January, the girl was gone. Her family had moved. In an age before the internet, he had no way to find her and no way to thank her for her kindness. He carried that shame with him for many years – that the relationship had been so one-sided and that he had never fully thanked her.

Eventually, that boy grew into a man and became a father. He now packed lunches – and snacks! – for his own daughter.

One day, she asked him to pack two snacks instead of one. He was a little surprised because she rarely finished all the food he packed for her. She explained that the second snack was for the boy who sat next to her. He never seemed to have a snack, and she had started sharing with him.

Needless to say, he lost his breath for a moment.

He gladly packed extra snacks for her every day. It was a way for him to finally repay the kindness he had received all those years ago.

As we welcome in the new year of 5787, it’s a good time to think about kindness. Some of us are in a position to help others right now. Others need some support right now. There is no shame in being on the receiving end of kindness.

And if we are patient enough, we may eventually get the opportunity to repay that kindness – either directly or indirectly.

May the coming year be filled with kindness for all of us.

L’shanah Tovah!

Shalom, 

RAF.