We have seen kindness in action during the last several weeks.
My 16-year-old grand girl, Gracee AKA Grace AKA Amazing Grace, was in a serious car accident in June. I’ve been in Michigan (I forgot to mention where I actually was in the below video) since then to help in her recovery. While here, I’ve continued to try to memorize a little poetry. The By Heart Community at Tweetspeak Poetry has been working on “Kindness” by Naomi Shihab Nye–one of my very favorite poems by one of my very favorite poets. I’m sure you’ll want to follow the link over there to read what Megan Willome has to say about the poem, how it made her think about the von Trapp family and the Sound of Music, and how she chose to go about memorizing it. Nye shares the backstory of the poem’s birth in this episode for On Being.
When I shared it with Grace, we both agreed the poem reminded us of her current situation. There she was in her new-to-her car on her way to work at the local Dairy Queen with plans for summer fun and making lots of money. Then BOOM! That awful sound of metal hitting metal as the hood of a pickup truck bashed in her door. She found herself in a ditch where she was trapped for 45 minutes. Her summer dissolved in that moment. Her simple breath (and angels riding shotgun) kept her alive, and we all wake up now with sorrow. But she has an amazing team of kind therapists who have raised their heads from the crowd and promised to help make her senior year of school a success.
“Kindness” is found in Nye’s collection called Words Under the Words, and you can see the version I memorized here.
Does “Kindness” have a special meaning for you?
Thank you, Sandra, for sharing that. Lovely words; impressive memorizing! (And, I’ve discovered your website/blog!). I hope all is well in Michigan.
Thanks, Sandra! Things are progressing here, but I’m still not sure when I can go home. Maybe we’ll know more after the big team meeting on Monday. đ
My blog is in desperate need of updating. đ
Prayers for Grace’s full recovery, Sandra! And oh, the importance of kindness cannot be stressed enough, especially in this day and age.
Blessings!
Hi, Martha! Grace (and all of us) are grateful for your prayers.
I’m with you on the kindness thing.
Great job!
First time I heard this poem (on “On Being”), I stopped what I was doing to go look it up, to see the words in print. So profoundly beautiful! I am conflicted, wishing for everyone to know kindness, but no one to have to experience any of the prerequisites.
“It is I you have been looking for,” yes. We are all in great need of it these days, I feel, to both encounter it and carry it.
I think Nye was on to something. We can give what we *think* is love or kindness or compassion, but unless we’ve really experienced what it’s like to receive it, maybe we really don’t know it. It’s like sharing from a full cup?
Thinking about this from 2 Corinthians 2:3-4
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, SO THAT we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.”
Beautiful, Sandra. Thank you. (And your intro made me laugh. đ )
Thanks, Laura. I’m conflicted about the intros. I think my written words can sometimes be funnier than my verbal words. I just noted a couple nasty comments that were left on one of the videos that said “give it a break.” Though they were a bit meaner, and I deleted them. đ