I would like to share with you a story that I read in my favorite blog, an every-Saturday pleasure. I am paraphrasing — for reasons of privacy for the story teller who doesn’t want to be identified, but hopes that others, hearing her story, will be inspired to do something similar.
A young couple lived in the city, often helping someone whose needs they heard of, by a donation to a fund. In time, they wanted to do more than contribute money which gave no personal connection to the person who needed help. So they moved to a small country town, in an agricultural area, the kind of town I myself grew up in, where not only did everybody “know your name” but most of what was going on in your life.
Over the years, the lady who tells the story realized that there was much help that was given at the beginning of the crisis, but six months later there was no mention of the person and how they were doing longer-term. So began a ministry that has lasted twenty years and counting.
This lady keeps these individuals in mind all year; and around mid-November she chooses one person and makes up a Christmas-themed personal basket for them. During the year, she collects items such as a special mug and tea, a small fleece blanket, some chocolates, a book, and maybe a candle or Christmas decoration. Sometimes she adds mittens and socks; whatever she comes across in her travels. She tries to tailor a couple of items to the individual. At the end of November she has a random person deliver the basket to their door with only a “Merry Christmas from an anonymous elf.”
She says, “Their reaction to this small token is always overwhelming — to think that a virtual stranger would go to such lengths to acknowledge their struggles! I truly think that the basket says to them, ‘I see you, I feel what you’ve been through and you are not alone,’ a kind of acknowledgement of their strength.”
Over the twenty-year span, only about five people have figured out who is doing this. “The very best part,” she says, “is that all five who found me asked if they could ‘steal’ my tradition and do baskets of their own. Hence, they continue to pay it forward every year.
“I absolutely will continue this for as long as I can for the sheer joy it brings to me. Who knew that such a small act could bring so much warmth to people’s hearts and so much joy to mine! Imagine this world if we all set out to perform one single random act of kindness each day… oh, what a change we could bring!”
Perhaps Advent, a time of reflection, is a great time to begin a random act of kindness each day — doesn’t need to be something that reaches the newspaper headlines (although, what an improvement that would be!). After all, God doesn’t need a newspaper headline to notice what we quietly do out of love for each other.
-Nancy Hammerton
Sudbury UMC Lenten Devotions 