The above quote is by author Nishan Panwar. His words have become a constant guide for me lately, especially in December.

My son, Benjamin, and I recently finished our 24 days of kindness project we conduct in December. This was our second year doing a kind act for someone or a group 24 days in a row. Those people were family, friends, neighbors, acquaintances and strangers.

We gave care packages filled with waters, snacks and supplies to our mail carrier and to the officers and staff at Whitehall Police Department. We picked up garbage and recycling on streets in our neighborhood. We paid the total of someone’s order behind us in a Starbucks drive-thru. We colored pictures for Benjamin’s friends and cousin. We made donations to a few groups that work to alleviate hunger in Whitehall, Coplay and Northampton and to Western Kentucky Relief Fund for the devastation left by tornadoes.

I couldn’t see the appreciation and smiles behind the recipients of some of those gifts, but I know they were there. I know our kind acts matter and are needed.

One big smile I was fortunate to see was from a woman attending Lehigh Valley Zoo’s Winter Light Spectacular the same night we were. She was standing with a child. Benjamin and I explained our project and asked if we could buy them a s’mores kit. The kit costs only $4, but the look on the woman’s face revealed the kindness we showed them had much more value. The woman was pleasantly surprised and grateful for our thoughtfulness, and we were happy to be able to help make their night a memorable experience.

Although it takes time, organization and money, I truly like doing this kindness project. I do this for my son and others. We do this to be a blessing to someone and to show there are kind people in this world, when many times it seems there is not enough love around.

Sure, I enjoy feeling good when I make someone’s day, but self-seeking gratification is not my intention. I want to be a good example for my son, to work toward making a world where it is more normal to come in contact with kindness than hatred.

I see this kindness in Benjamin, and it has increased recently - I hope partly because of our yearly project. I have noticed a maturity of empathy in him. When we talked about and saw photos of the damage left from the recent tornadoes in Kentucky, Benjamin kept saying to me, “This is terrible.” When his best friend told him she lost a stuffed animal when she was out, Benjamin came home from preschool saying he wanted to buy her a new stuffed friend. These are just two examples.

Showing kindness is one of the most important qualities I can instill in Benjamin, and I hope the lessons he is learning and the actions he is taking will continue to bring smiles, appreciation, cheer and love to others for many Decembers to come.

I invite you to join Benjamin and me in helping make this world a better place for all.

Stacey A. Koch

editorial assistant

Whitehall-Coplay Press

Northampton Press

Catasauqua Press