by Ginger Philbrick
Dear Readers, I hope you have known kindness this week and that you have had the opportunity to respond in like manner. For me, it has been especially uplifting to learn of instances of people being actually surprised at the benevolence shown them in the recent past.
For instance, three readers told of their astonishment when the person ahead of them in a fast food line paid for their order. In all cases, the generous giver disappeared before they could thank them.
A resident of a local senior community was surprised and most grateful when she was checking out at Walmart, and a sixth grader from Chesapeake Academy volunteered to help her get her packages to the car. It made what could have been a cumbersome trip actually pleasant.
One of the women’s clubs in our area received a magnanimous, anonymous donation that has enabled them to have emergency building repairs done.
Other such acts of kindness have come to my attention and I will share them over the next few weeks. However, I can never receive too many such stories and hope that if you have one you will let me know.
In my reading this week, I came across the following quote from Stephen Grellet, a prominent French-American Quaker missionary whose life story is extremely interesting. I found his words a reminder of why we should ever be on the lookout for ways to be charitable and good-hearted.
He wrote, “I expect to pass through this world but once; any good thing therefore that I can do or any kindness that I can show to my fellow creature, let me do it now; let me not defer or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again.”
Ginger Philbrick is the owner of Because You Are Polite LLC. You are invited to email your manners questions to her and she will respond as time and space allow. You may contact her at youarepolite1@gmail.com.
