Kindlandia: Kindness—to ease the pain from loss

Dearest Edythe,

While visiting Florence, Oregon, for the Literary Salon, we had an unexpected sparkle of kindness appear. At a major intersection, a lady was waving at passing cars holding a huge sign. Written in big bold colorful letters, the sign read: BE KIND.

Thomas and I parked at a nearby lot and walked over to visit. Her name was Sharon. She had recently returned from a nine-day visit with her 100-year-old mother who was on Hospice in Kansas. She said the visit had been especially tender as they shared memories and she showered her mom with love. Sharon said she was heartbroken to have to leave her mom and come back home to Florence. She expressed deep grief and was struggling to find a way to live with the pain and impending loss.

She’d wanted to do something to spread kindness. Friends suggested the sign. Sharon passed along the message: BE KIND with a smile and a wave at each passing car and people responded with smiles and waves in return.

Sharon told me she could feel her spirits lifting and how the sharing and receiving of kindness was helping her heal.

Edythe, I told her about you and our Kindlandia, a place where only kind people dwell. We gave each other a big hug. I told her how happy I was to meet another resident from Kindlandia.

As we drove away, she smiled, waved her sign, and once more I enjoyed the nudge—Be Kind.