Loving Kindness

I just returned home recently from a wonderful getaway for my wife celebrating her birthday weekend. One evening as we finished a meal, I decided I wanted to have some dessert. And that dessert was going to be ice cream. A day or two before, my wife and I passed an ice cream shop along one of the boulevards where we were spending our time. So, I knew exactly where I wanted to go. As part of the trip, I was utilizing a couple of gift cards that were given to me, and one of the cards that I had left still had about $11.00 on it, more than enough to buy some ice cream. With glee in my heart and excitement about a sweet treat, I went off to the ice cream shop. Once there, looked on the menu, picked out the dessert for my wife and for myself with the wonderful flavors that they had to offer. The young lady told me the cost of the two desserts and I presented my gift card when she then shared they were cash-only. The young lady did express there was an atm on-site, however, the gift card that I had came without a pin to be able to use an atm. As such, it was obvious I was going to have to decline the offer at the time and go back to my hotel to get some cash. 

As I was stepping away, a young man expressed that he’ll be glad to pay for my ice cream rather than me having to leave. This was very, very unexpected that even this individual was paying attention and noticing the small dilemma that I was experiencing. At first, I declined but this young man insisted. While I graciously shared with him the gift card that I have, expressing the amount of money that was still on it which was more than what the cost of the ice cream was. And he did accept as well. We exchanged names and thank you’s and it was just a wonderful, pleasant experience to see how loving-kindness can be extended wherever we are, in whatever circumstance we’re in if were just willing to pay attention and see others’ circumstances rather than just our own.

Take a moment and share here where you’ve had the opportunity to extend loving-kindness or it’s been extended to you. Your share will bless someone else and I promise to write you back.

See you next Sunday.

MJ