Guest Post: Kindness Can Change Your Life

This week’s article is a guest post by Emily Sirkel, my writing partner and the COO of the Dan Nielsen Company.

The late Zig Ziglar once said, “You never know when one kind act, or one word of encouragement, can change a life forever.”

What beautiful truth is wrapped up in that one statement. I’m pretty sure that Zig was mostly thinking of the recipient of such kindness when he said a life could be changed forever. But I know from personal experience that a kind act or word can also change the life of the person who gives it.

Two summers ago my husband surprised me with a weekend trip to Washington, D.C. for our fifth wedding anniversary. He went all out—enlisting the help of a friend who picked me up from work in the middle of the day, blindfolded me, and drove me to the airport. In D.C. we stayed at a historic hotel on Pennsylvania Avenue, and enjoyed sightseeing and perusing museums throughout our stay. It was a wonderful surprise and a wonderful trip.

At the end of the weekend, we were waiting in the airport for our flight home. I decided to go purchase a bottle of water before we had to board. As I got up and set off to find a place to buy the water, I noticed an older woman sitting alone in a wheelchair. I walked past her, then felt a little nudge in my spirit that told me to turn around.

“Excuse me, ma’am? I was going to get myself a bottle of water, and was wondering if you need anything.”

The woman immediately lit up with a big smile and an expression containing a mixture of surprise, appreciation, and relief. She admitted she was hungry and was hoping to get something to eat before the flight. She offered to give me money to bring her back some food, but instead I offered to just bring her along with me. And so I pushed her wheelchair and together we went off in search of food and water.

We of course struck up a conversation, and she inquired after my baby, as I was obviously pregnant, being six months along at the time. I came to find out that her name is Evelyn, she is from Texas, and she is a cancer survivor who was wheelchair-bound due to nerve damage in her legs caused by the chemo.

One thing led to another, and by the time we had gotten what we needed and made our way back to our gate, she had convinced me to give her my mailing address so she could make and send a quilt for our unborn daughter, Adelade.

Back at our gate we continued to chat a bit, but then parted ways when it came time to board, as my husband and I had an early boarding time and Evelyn was flying stand-by. I figured there was a chance we’d hear from her again, but most likely that was the end of that.

Well, it’s been a year and a half since we met Evelyn in that D.C. airport, and in that time we have received nearly a dozen packages and exchanged as many letters and phone calls. The packages have included a total of four handmade quilts, dozens of adorable outfits, several new toys, and plenty of love. She calls me her “other daughter,” and Adelade her granddaughter, and we call her Granny Evelyn. We have not met again in person, but we keep up with each other’s lives, speak often on the phone, and I regularly send her photos of her “granddaughter.”

A few months ago I was very pleased to learn that thanks to physical therapy, medication, and prayer, Evelyn is no longer wheelchair-bound, and is as spunky and cheerful as ever. If life ever takes us to her part of Texas, we will most definitely be stopping in for a glass of sweet tea and a long overdue hug.

All in all, it has been (and will continue to be) an amazing and unlikely friendship that developed over one small, random act of kindness. I know that it impacted Evelyn, but I also know that one kind act most definitely changed MY life forever!