I have a friend who is a 26 year old African American. He was recently hired by a new employer.

When I asked him how it was going, he said he was working to overcome the “stereotype.” I never thought about what must be a common obstacle for people of color.

So unfair!

When will we learn to accept people as individuals rather than simply as members of a certain group?

Surely, we are capable of becoming more inclusive in our relationships with people of different ethnicities and races.

It must begin with you and me!

Are you willing to grow out of your comfort zone and help mend our fractured society?

Millions of our fellow citizens are out of work with little or no savings.

If there was ever a time in America to look out for our neighbors, it is now!

If not today, when?

Prayer broke out all over this summer—Walmart aisles, gas stations, roadsides.

In a Columbus, Georgia, Walmart, an African American man walked up to a white police officer, and within seconds, the two were holding hands with heads bowed in prayer.

In Kentucky, a homeless man and a police officer were photographed in a similar position.

“They stood this way for about 30 seconds,” said the woman who posted the photograph.

In Mississippi, Deputy Sheriff Josh Harmon posted on Facebook: “Had one of the most amazing experiences of my life.”

An elderly black woman] comes up to me and says, ‘Your life matters. Can I pray with you?’ And we prayed. And people joined in. They were black, white together.

There was no hate. It was just praying.”  (goodnewsnetwork.org)

This story is about GLUE! Do likewise! Help GLUE our society back together!

If not today, when?

A few years ago, when I was driving to my job, I saw Wayuu children (An American ethnic group living in the northernmost part of Columbia.) on their way to school in the distance.

It was raining and the little ones were riding on donkeys.

I was devastated.

I am a language therapist with a focus on inclusion, differentiation and educational coaching.

I had to do something.

How can we expect equal employment opportunities if the education is not of good quality?

From that day on I have been supporting an ethno-educational centre. I advise the teachers.

I want to do more but the local government doesn’t seem to care.

I give my work and one step at a time, I have been blessed to see several of these students become professionals.

But, you can always do more! (randomactsofkindness.org)

Parenting is an awesome responsibility!

Your children will learn more from your actions than from your words.

You are the ultimate teacher of your kids. So, you have to be believable if you want your children to pick up your good habits.

In other words, you can’t be a hypocrite who preaches one set of behavior while doing the opposite!

Actions such as smoking, drinking, drug use, vulgar language and disrespectful behavior are noticed.

Parenting is a battle between you and other influencers that will shape or misshape your children’s system of values.

Peer pressure and bullying have always been there, but social media is a new, powerful influencer.

If you are a parent of children who are not yet adults, your kids are trying to grow up in a chaotic world with mixed messages coming through their cell phones night and day.

You must be the trusted source of what is right!

If not today, when?

(Shanti Bahvan’s First graduating class)

Dr. Abraham George was born in the seaside city of Trivandrum, Kerala, India. He migrated to America where he became very wealthy in the field of international finance.

Dr. George returned to India in January 1995.

He was always aware of the lowest class of 300 million poorest of the poor people referred to as “Untouchables.” He wanted to help them emerge from the generational hopelessness of their lives.

He invited poor children from age four to age eighteen to live in a residential school that would provide a high quality education leading to acceptance into India’s finest universities.

Upon graduation, he expected them to lift up the living standards of family members and friends left behind.

So, he founded Shanti Bhavan (Haven of Peace) Residential School.

As of 2017, the first four classes graduated from college and are employed by global companies like Mercedes Benz, Goldman Sachs and Ernst & Young!

Two bombs were exploded at the April 15, 2013 Annual Boston Marathon.

In all the horror, there are also heartening stories about how kindness emerged from tragedy:

people on Twitter urging others to note the people who run towards the explosions, not away from them, to help;

stories of heroism from runners;

journalists who ran the marathon, springing into action to cover the story;

the first responders.

As we remember to be good to one another in the face of this event, here are some of those initial reports:   

Reports of Marathon Runners that crossed the finish line and continued to run to Mass General Hospital to give blood to victims

Some runners offered their jackets to help keep people warm: 

“Residents from the houses along the route brought out food and water for the runners.”

Two Lutheran pastors walked along Commonwealth Avenue, Bibles in hand for those who needed comfort. (theatlantic.com)

Some people are at their best when attending to the suffering of complete strangers!

Other types of loneliness are legitimate, but not this one.

“How, after all, can you be married and lonely?”

This is a type of loneliness that blooms when you are married to someone who doesn’t love you.

This is not a periodic loneliness. No, it is a constant loneliness that never leaves you!

It is the loneliness that arrests the blood flowing to and from your heart when you share your deepest feelings, only to have them ignored.

It is the loneliness that sees you, at a dinner with several other people, playing your part to the best of your ability.

It is the love that was once there and has now become a betrayal.

Until, one morning, you wake up and realize that you have given away so much of yourself that you are a shadow of the person you once were.   

An Epidemic of Loneliness in America!      (CBS News)

If you ever feel disconnected from others, take some solace in the fact that you’re not alone. A new report finds that many Americans are lonely, and younger adults appear to be the hardest hit.

The study, published by the global health service company. Cigna, found that 46 percent of U.S. adults report sometimes or always feeling lonely and 47 percent report feeling left out.

Cigna calls those “epidemic levels.”

What’s more, only around half of Americans say they have meaningful in-person social interactions on a daily basis, such as having an extended conversation with a friend or spending time with family members.

How about you?

Most people today are absorbed in the issues of their own lives. So, they don’t seem to have either the time or inclination to reach out to strangers.

Join organizations with whom you have something in common.

You don’t have to live a life of loneliness.

If not today, when?

A vital part of our publishing business years ago, was to take outgoing packages to the post office. We got to know the postal workers rather well and considered them friends. One day, we noticed that one of the postal clerks seemed very sad. We finally asked, “Is there a problem?”

Come to find out, her husband had died and left her with not much money and three children still at home. The worst part was that she would have to take her oldest son out of the private school he was attending for his senior year. She was afraid that moving him to a new school would, along with the loss of his dad, be very hard on him.

We decided that the young man’s future was a very good investment for us. We paid his tuition and celebrated his graduation and acceptance into college.

About 6 years ago, I was on a plane next to a woman who was relentlessly energetic and fidgety. She tapped me on the shoulder and introduced herself.

“Hi, my name is Helga!”

I told her I had started an organization in high school called Random Acts of Kindness. Helga got very serious and said “there was nothing more important in the world than Kindness.”

Three years ago, Helga was en route to Arizona because her Dad had suddenly passed away. When she arrived at the airport, she walked to the nearest wall, sat down, and cried.

For two hours she sat and wept while thousands walked to and fro. Not a single person stopped and asked if she was okay.

It was that day that she realized that Kindness Isn’t Normal.”

Be Kind!