Sunday, June 17, 2007

Barbeques (or as Selig says, “bee bee cues”) are the lifeblood of summer. Great weather, delicious food, good company, they are the epitome of what summer is. Such was the one last night with amazing fruit salad and sausages, sporatic games of basketball and badminton, satisfying conversations, random revelations and a lot of laughter. As the sun set and the citronella candles were coming out because the mosquitoes had started biting, I was getting ready to head home. Unexpectedly, my friend Angel told me that two of my guy friends, Posner and Amos, were taking me home; Amos was already jangling his car keys and heading toward the driveway. It wasn’t as much their chivalrous manner that made an impression on me but the simple act of kindness because I knew that they were heading right back to the BBQ.

Acts of kindness are interesting things. It’s like catching a glimpse of a rare bird in the deep forest. A flash of bright plumage, a gasp of wonder and it’s gone. It seems like they are a dying breed, as we watch on the news all the wars, bomb scares, school shootings, homicides, suicides, and petty court trials that are deep-seated in our culture. A culture that seems to be getting colder over the years. A gentle word, a brief touch, a kind action warms the heart in a powerful way. The love that fuels these acts of kindness, like a simple candle, does not diminish or extinguish by passing on its flame and indeed, as more candles are lighted, the world gets that much more luminous.

Light a candle today.