This coming Sunday, April 28, is Global Pay It Forward Day.

This day is for showing kindness to other people, whether loved ones, friends or complete strangers.

According to globalpayitforwardday.com, “Taking inspiration from author Catherine Ryan Hyde’s Pay It Forward movement, Blake Beattie started Pay It Forward Day in 2007 as a celebration of how one small act of kindness can make a big impact in the world. After beginning in Australia, the holiday now spreads love and happiness in over 85 countries.”

While writing this, the song “The Christmas Shoes,” by the Christian vocal group NewSong and written by group members Eddie Carswell and Leonard Ahlstrom, came to mind.

The song is about a little boy trying to purchase a pair of new shoes for his sick and dying mother on Christmas Eve.

Several lyrics in the song are “Sir, I want to buy these shoes for mama, please, it’s Christmas Eve and these shoes are just her size,

“Could you hurry, sir, daddy says there’s not much time,

“You see she’s been sick for quite a while,

“And I know these shoes would make her smile,

“And I want her to look beautiful if mama meets Jesus tonight.”

The lyrics in the song go on to say when the boy doesn’t have enough money, an individual waiting in line supplies the boy with the extra money he needs to purchase the shoes.

This song shows how a simple act of kindness can make a difference in a person’s life.

Years ago, I covered an assignment where some local youths were handing out gift cards to complete strangers at a local grocery store for Pay It Forward Day.

The recipients were very grateful and thanked the youth for the gift cards.

Will you show kindness to someone this coming Sunday, Pay It Forward Day?

Here are a few suggestions to help you get you started:

• When you stop at your favorite coffee/beverage shop or restaurant, offer to pay for the next person’s order when you pay for your own order.

• If you ride the bus and see someone who really needs to sit, give up your seat.

• Offer to hold the door open for someone coming in behind you, a mother carrying an infant or walking with a small child or a senior citizen.

• Give someone a smile or say hello. It may be all the kindness that person may need to brighten their day.

• When driving and you see someone trying to merge into traffic or onto the highway, slow down and let them merge in front of you if it is safe for you to do so and the other driver.

Last week, a couple of friends showed me that offering kindness can go a long way to brightening the day for someone who may be going through a difficult time or having a bad day.

Let’s not just make this coming Sunday the day to pay it forward and show kindness, but rather make every day an opportunity to show kindness to other people.

Susan Bryant

editorial assistant

Parkland Press

Northwestern Press