Strangers in our Midst

                                                               Welcome to the Bright Side

In a world that often feels heavy let’s choose light. Each week, I will share stories of kindness, courage, and quiet triumphs-reminders that compassion still moves mountains and small deeds ripple outward. This is your weekly dose of hope. A place where goodness is noticed, celebrated, and carried forward.      

                                                      Strangers in Our Midst

                                                       “The Kindness We Never See Coming”

Acts of kindness are incredibly sweet when they come from a friend, a neighbor, or a family member, but there is something extra special when it comes from a total stranger. It tends to give us a sense of renewed faith in humanity and in goodness. It brings us a surge of hope that the world is a much better place than we think.  

Every day, our lives interact with those kind strangers who open that door and wait, who let you merge in traffic, who stop to give your car a jumpstart or help change that tire. Those who offer a hand for whatever you need. Those moments are full of gratitude but every so often a stranger will step into our life that leaves lingering footprints in our heart. This week I want to honor a man who has spent his life being that stranger who gives when it is needed. His heart is bigger than his chest and his generosity is endless. He is as humble and kind as they come. I will simply call him “P”

We are all familiar with the saying “I would give you the shirt off my back”, but have you ever heard of “I will give you my shoes”? lol well this gentleman literally has given both. In boot camp a fellow soldier needed shoes for reasons I will not disclose. “P” did not think twice he simply handed him his own shoes. In another instance someone needed a shirt, so “P” quite literally took the shirt off his back and handed it to the man. He came across a lady who put her car in a snow-filled ditch. He stopped to make sure she was ok, called 911 and stayed with her until they arrived offering his car for warmth. This is a man who always opens those doors, who saves a baby kitten who was left cold and abandoned, who always has a kind word to say, who never thinks twice when someone needs help. He pays no mind to the acts of kindness he offers each day, because in his mind that is just how we should be.

What makes one person stop and not another? I do not have that answer but if I was to guess I would say compassion. Millions of small and big acts of kindness are shared every single day for which I am personally incredibly grateful for. Today, let’s thank those strangers who are willing to stop their day to offer help; to those who are willing to put your needs before their own; those who smile and hold the door just because; and to those who go that extra mile not because they have to, but because they want to. A huge THANK YOU to all you strangers for all your wonderful acts of kindness, both big and small. Many Blessings to all of you.

                                               Bright side-Good Deeds for the Week

Calvin Godette, a water-main worker in Virginia quietly buys coffee, groceries, and small necessities for random people-often changing someone’s day with this simple act. He says, “You never know when a simple act of kindness might shift someone’s whole situation.”

(Reference CBS News)

On a local note, a kind soul stopped to help a man and a child who was stranded with a flat tire. It was not a simple deed as the rim was quite rusty and required a sledge to break it loose. The stranger was more than happy to drive home, get a sledge and come back. He refused any payment other than a thank you.

                                                     Good Things Happening in the World

The Ocean Cleanup removes 45 million Kilograms of plastic.

Pilot study shows new treatment restores vision for the blind.

(reference good news)

                                             Inspirational quote of the day.

                     “The briefest of encounters can create a wealth of new hope”

         “Let’s keep brightening the world together, one small kindness at a time.”