Who's That Girl?

The quality of being generous, thoughtful, considerate or friendly. It takes nothing to show kindness to someone and there are an abundance of ways in doing so. It can be through a smile, a thank you, a care package, giving someone a compliment, or even the act of paying it forward. In a world filled with plenty of anger, hatred and greed it can be rare to find kindness around or to show kindness even though it really doesn’t take much effort, can be simple and even free to be kind to others.

I would like to think that we all try our best to be kind daily to one another, even despite the hardships that come with each day. I recently saw a fellow widow who started an annual tradition of making kindness boxes which she gifts to random widows on Valentine’s Day so that they could feel some love on a day that isn’t as easy to celebrate when you’ve lost your special someone. What a beautiful way to spread joy in the world – it definitely inspired me and got my wheels turning on an idea and something that I would like to do in the future. More to come on that in the year ahead.

Then sometimes, out of nowhere, kindness can come your way unexpectedly and it can be such a beautiful thing. While working late the other evening my work phone went off and there it was – a message from my boss that she was paying it forward on a prize she won but that she wasn’t able to use. 2 tickets to the Toronto Maple Leafs and she was gifting them to Mila and I. What she didn’t know was that hockey, and specifically the Toronto Maple Leafs is what bonded Mila and her dad. They would sit up watching games together, yelling at the tv in frustration and having chats about the players on many nights. It was a beautiful thing to see and for them to share. He always wanted to take his little girl to a Leafs game but unfortunately he didn’t get that opportunity. When I shared this story with her she got emotional – she truly felt like it was meant to be for my girl and I to have this special moment together and how ironic, on Family Day weekend. On top of that when she hears this was going to be her first experience at a live game she went further and sent her a beautiful hockey themed edible arrangement to sweeten the experience even further. She doesn’t know Mila, has only heard about her from my stories yet she felt compelled to do this for her and it was beyond thoughtful and kind, it was extraordinarily generous. My little girl felt so special and was over the moon excited. I have been thinking about giving her this type of experience for a while but haven’t had the opportunity and here this person made that come true for not only her, but for me and ultimately her dad.

So here we are grinning from ear to ear with happiness, hearts filled with joy and all thanks to the kindness shared to us by another person. I am so grateful and appreciative and this will forever be a memory and experience we both won’t forget. Oh and to make the night even better, the Leafs won 9-2!! What a night!

LM