Profiles in kindness
For the last couple of months, I have been examining acts of various people who have lived up to the standard of courage as outlined in the book written some years ago by John F. Kennedy. “Profiles in Courage” told of eight men who stepped up to the batter’s plate, realizing that the move was going to be costly for them. Each man had something important to lose, but because the decision was worth it, they all stepped out for the cause at hand.
However, lately I have been thinking that courage is not the most important attribute for a godly human being to have. Kindness is the key ingredient to healthy living and a healthy life. I am not disagreeing with the Bible, which states that love is. From love comes all of the other godly attributes, including kindness.
Most people will say that what holds their friendship together is the kindness of the other individual as well as how it is displayed in the relationship. Many times, it does not matter where or how the friendship began.
Several years ago, I was attending a meeting at a church; a community meeting to improve the negative atmosphere in our community. The discussion was a basic one, simply about a place to have a particular activity. Various names of places were tossed out for the group to consider.
Someone named a Black church and immediately a gentlemen two tables from mine said, without thinking or blinking an eye, “No, now we must have it at a place where it will be organized.” He went on to speak, and they finally agreed on a place that was comfortable for him. His reaction is a subject for another day.
But there was a young lady sitting at the next table and immediately she jerked as I jerked. We looked at each other and asked with our eyes, “Did he really say that?” No one in the main group slowed down one iota. She and I had to pause for a minute or two. After swallowing that for the time being, we mentally rejoined the group discussion.
We never spoke to each other about what we heard and what it said to both of us that day. We gradually got closer as we continued to see each other at meetings but never conversing. I have continued to follow her and she me, for years, but it was just coincidental meetings.
One day, through Facebook, she asked if there was something that she could help with to make the AACPA CONNECTION more visible in the community. That was a welcome question. When the African American Connection for the Performing Arts was very active in the community, I always said to those in the group to never turn down help. There is always something that one more hand on board can help with to bring about a successful docking.
She has since made flyers, supported community events, served as the photographer, set up Facebook pages. She has played her part in reestablishing the image of the organization.
Laura I. Adams is the living example of what kindness looks like in real life. She has never been introduced to selfishness and has never developed a relationship with him.
The interesting point is that Laura
— or should I call her by her real name, Kindness — not only helps me and my organization, but I have seen her on the job helping many many others. And to Laura it matters not if she is thanked for her acts of kindness. Ms. Kindness does not wait for applause because she thinks there is too much to be done to wait around for pats on the back.
My mom, Ella, used to tell us when we seemed to be taking the kindness of others for granted: “People do not have to be kind to you. They do so by choice.” Every act of kindness that Laura engages in is by choice.
Laura has decided that in our community there is a major missing ingredient, and that is kindness. She is not waiting for others to make the move. She realizes that there can never be too many good deeds in a community with the level of sickness as ours. She is more than willing to put her ingredient in the soup. She has found her purpose and loves what God has placed in her path to lift up, to care for, to encourage, to nourish. Whatever the need is, Laura fills the void. I did not interview her because I already know enough about her from observation and indirect contact.
Laura has discovered that every person is a vital part of God’s humanity and must be treated as such. Her smile and the look in her eyes speak volumes about her and what she believes about humankind.