Acts of Kindness

Today is Fat Tuesday or Shrove Tuesday, depending on where you live, which means that tomorrow is the beginning of the Lenten season.  When I was growing up, I always thought that Lent was only a Catholic thing, but I soon found about that many different branches of Christianity practice it in one form or another.  It is viewed as a time of reflection and sacrifice.  The flowers and decorations are taken down, the holy water is removed and the music becomes minor.  I have observed Lent for many years, always giving something up like fries or soda, but in the last few years I have tried to make it more meaningful by putting something into practice, as well.

Lately on Twitter I have seen several people talk about receiving acts of kindness from strangers, mostly in the form of free coffee at a drive through.  As much as I complain and lament about the difficulties of working full time, being in grad school, and having 2 small children, I know that for every inconvenience I have a gift or a blessing.  So, I will be giving up chips and crackers for lent (that's gonna hurt) but I have also teamed up with the wonderful Suzy to post about Act of Kindness Friday.

Every Friday the participants will post about acts of kindness that they participated in, received or observed.  They can be big things or little things.  The point is to help you notice that kindness really is all around you if you take a moment to notice.  While Lent is a Christian observance, I think that kindness is a universal concept, so there is no belief requirement to join in.  I would love to see everyone's experiences, whatever you do or don't believe.

So, how about it?  Could you use a little kindness in your life?

Join in and sign up on Mr. Linky so we can all visit each other.  Feel free to spread the word, too!  To get the button you can grab it on my sidebar or go and visit Suzy.