The rain prevented my daily Campus walk…so I walked in our mall. I was amazed at how many storefronts are now shuttered. A wonderful coffee establishment, Gloria Jeans, is now gone. MJ and I were discussing Christmas shopping and wondered where we could possibly shop in Carbondale. The face of retail is changing rapidly. I remember our mall when it opened in the 1970s. I had not experienced a more unique manner in which to do my shopping…than the mall. It was a town square under one roof. If you were hungry there were a plethora of choices of eating emporiums. There was a multiplex Theatre. The halls were so full of people that you could barely walk. During the holiday season, the parking lots had every space filled…and police directing traffic. We purchased our wedding rings at one of several jewelry stores. I simply enjoyed spending time at the University Mall…as it was buzzing with excitement and the hustle and bustle of modern society.

I wrote a blog yesterday entitled, Lost, and I thought a bit further regarding what is an antidote for each of us when we are lost… Seldom have I ever felt found in my quandry…as when another human is kind to me. Contained in being lost…is the feeling of being alone. Poor people who commit suicide feel terribly…alone. Often a kind word from a fellow traveler through this hilly and rocky journey…can pull back the clouds of gloom and despair…and reveal the brightness of the Sun..

When we meet another person…we look into their eyes…to determine if they are understanding…and kind. Kindness is someting that you can not fake. Kindness is something that you feel. Have you ever had a bad day. The kind of day that you felt completly alone. Everything seemed to be going against you…and it felt like God was taking a nap? During your lost condition you randomly encounter a kind person…perhaps it is a cashier at Wal-Mart. The lovely person exclaims, ‘It is good to see you…it has been awhile…how have you been?’ You think to yourself that no one is paying this woman to be nice to me…she is simply a kind person…and suddenly…God woke up…

So often we search for the big ideas. We seek to hit a home run…when a base hit is what is in order. The simpliest of kind gestures…make the difference…and provide a compass for those of us who are lost.

Emotions are magnified in media. We look for indescribale love…and rabid hate. Many relationships wither beause the mental expectations cloud the daily examples of love and kindness that people have for each other. Politics has devolved into a hate fest of destroying your opponent…when cordial disagreement and compromise with out rancor is what is called for.

People throughout my life who have shown me kindness and assisted me to stay on the path of a happy life…have often done so by a, ‘A word fitly spoken.’ It is not the multitude of gestures…it is the real and the genuine gestures to help our brothers and sisters…it really is the little things that make a difference…