Spread the Message

I'm sharing this blog post with you today because I believe this message is something worth sharing, and remembering every single day.

Last week, I read this article. Briefly, it is about a man who suffered a brain injury that affected his entire family, and their life for many years, until he fully recovered. They had a booming business that his wife had to take over, and after a while they suffered from many financial hardships. During one of the mans random back-to-normal-mentally streaks, he rented a sign and filled their yard with every one of the family's big ticket items in order to sell them to help his family. An angry neighbor called to yell at him for the gigantic sign, and the man told him what was going on with his family. The neighbor apologized, but felt awful for the things he had said. The moral of the story is not to judge people because we have no idea what they are going through.

I believe this is something every one needs constant work on. It is so easy to judge someone based on what's going on in our life, when in actuality, we know nothing about their specific journey and situation. Even if we are lucky enough to know their situation, we are not them, and have not walked the same journey through life that they have. 

In the article, the author, Melody Ross, states that she wishes people could walk around with signs hanging around their neck telling people what is going on with them. Signs like "I lost my job", "My house is being foreclosed.", or "My husband gambles all our money away."

Because everyone has a story. Because every story is different. Because not all situations are black and white.... We need to be gentle with each other. We need to be kind, and generous. 

After I read this article, Jackson and I read the book Stone Soup, one of my favorite books from my childhood. It shares a similar message about kindness and sharing. In the beginning of the book, the people in the town only work for themselves. They don't share anything, and when three monks come to town, they all shut their doors and refuse to answer. In great efforts to teach the people of the town a lesson, the monks begin to make Stone Soup. They start with just three stones and water. A little girl comes to watch and is eager to help. In turn, all of the towns people come outside to see what's going on, and everyone ends up contributing a little something to make the soup. At the end, they have a hearty Stone Soup to share, and there is a huge feast. The towns people learn that everyone must pull together as a community so they can all reap the benefits. 

(You can click the link above and purchase this amazing book for you and your children to read and discuss together. It is linked to my amazon affiliates account.)

That's what I want for our world. That's what I want for my town, and especially for my children. I want them to grow up helping people, and being generous, but also knowing what it's like for others to do the same for them.

I'm calling all of you, big, and small, old, and young, to make the changes within yourselves to accept people as they are. Love one another always. Be generous, be kind, be gentle, even if someone doesn't deserve it. It is those people who don't deserve it that need it the most.

Please spread this message with everyone you know. We can only benefit from making this change.
Have a lovely day.