Sometimes kindness is easy and immediately rewarding:
A kind smile, a hug when someone’s down, or an offer to take a meal when a friend is sick. Those meaningful kindnesses make our world a joyful place. But there’s a deeper level of kindness that requires sacrifice, patience, and rock solid dedication. This type of kindness may not be immediately rewarded. Deepness of soul and heart are essential because this level of kindness can be inconvenient and down right exhausting.
I witnessed this sort of kindness unfold in our neighborhood over the course of several years. Two women in our neighborhood with differing backgrounds, ethnic roots, and family situations became close friends.
Kira was the mother of 5 young children and extremely busy. Through a series of difficult events, Nani found herself a single mother of newborn twins. Nani was smart and hard working, but had little education resulting in limited earning potential. As the sole provider for her family, she was in a tough situation.
Kira reached out to Nani with unconditional love. Knowing Nani couldn’t afford both college and a babysitter, Kira offered to babysit the twins so Nani could go to school while keeping her daytime job. Kira selflessly added Nani’s two babies to her already heavy load of caring for her own large family. Nani worked at a restaurant accepting all the hours she could get to financially support her family. In her spare time, she attended nursing school.
The time commitment for both Nani and Kira was intense. The twins spent most of the first 6 years of their lives in Kira’s home. That meant feedings, exhausting nights, endless diaper changes and eventually potty training and homework help. Kira welcomed the twins and loved them like her own.
Because of Kira’s service, Nani was able to finish nursing school and is now financially independent. Nani has since been able to buy a home for her family. The two families remain close friends.
This kind of kindness is nothing short of heroic. It displays the power that is in us to make a lasting and profound difference in the lives of others. It is an example of humanity at it’s best!
All names have been changed to protect those mentioned.
Photo by Christian Stahl on Unsplash.
