His name was Gene.

I can still remember his frail body, gray hairs sprinkled above his ears, though balding on top, and his genuine smile when I walked through the door of his retirement home, a young child chaperoned by my mother and others in my Girl Scout Troop. It is one of my favorite memories as a young girl, visiting my ‘adopted’ grandfather as part of our service to the community. We had all been paired with an elderly resident who needed a family to provide interaction and hope.

Gene liked playing Uno and eating banana pudding, and he always smiled wider than the Grand Canyon. His days were simple and repetitious, with barely a familiar face to visit, leaving him anxious for our occasional drop-ins with a kind word and a tray of freshly-baked muffins, still warm from the oven where I lived just a handful of stoplights down the road.

Today is National Random Acts of Kindness Day, and someone at work asked me what random act of kindness, whether done for me or for others, is most memorable over the years, and grainy images of Gene began to play in my head, like a projector displaying old memories yellowed with time.

Gene is my favorite random act of kindness.

As Girl Scouts, we were there to pay it forward, to be a light in their day, yet these adopted grandmas and grandpas had a deeper impact on us.. These sweet souls showed us what it means to care for others, to invest in someone, to be selfless and helpful, life lessons we could take with us and use on the daily. Their eyes spoke without words exchanged, as they possessed a wisdom we could not have known, having experienced the joys and pains of what life brings.

Gene always seemed happiest on visit days, making me feel like I made a difference in his world. Yet, he left an imprint on mine.

It was a time where I truly felt the gift of showing kindness to others.

So today, and all days, do an act of service for someone. Buy them a coffee, pay them a compliment, write them a note, or make a delivery to a food pantry. Include your kids and encourage them to lead by example.

People like Gene need us. People like you and I need people like Gene.

We are a world who needs each other.

~Deb