“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” – Mark 12:30-31
Cadi Williams is seven years old. Each Christmas Cadi opens a Christmas present from Ken Watson. Opening presents at Christmas is quite ordinary, but the presents Cadi opens are extraordinary. Ken Watson passed away five years ago. Ken was 87. He died of cancer. Before he passed, Ken purchased 14 years of Christmas presents for his neighbor, Cadi.
Each year Cadi and her family gather around and open the “Ken gift.” The gifts are simple; a coloring book, a stuffed animal, and a wooden train. However, the gift is much more than these simple toys convey. Ken Watson chose each gift for his neighbor, while he was enduring the effects of cancer. It was an act of kindness that continues to bless Cadi and her family.
Recently, Cadi’s father, Owen, has shared more about Ken. Ken Watson was a wonderful neighbor, who loved to bless the children in his neighborhood. Ken’s wife had passed away several years before and he did not have grandchildren of his own. For Cadi’s first birthday, Ken brought her a large stuffed lion. The family would later find out that Ken had bought the same lion for every child on the street.
Ken’s kindness has blessed so many people. A stuffed animal and a coloring book are not the most expensive gifts one could give, but it is the intentional kindness that accompanied each gift that has outlived Ken. He was focused on blessing others, even while going through his most difficult moments of life. It has been five years since Ken passed away, but his actions are still inspiring others. Ken truly lived out the commandment to “Love your neighbor.” He looked beyond himself to care for the needs of others.
Cadi Williams was only two when Ken passed away. She would have no memory of Ken. However, whenever she, her family, or her neighbors speak of Ken, his memory is still alive as they remember the kind-heartedness that has blessed their lives. Cadi may not remember Ken, but she will most likely live a life of compassion and kindness, because a neighbor cared for her first.
We have the ability to bless our neighbors. When we place the needs of others above our own, we will make a difference. Offering small, intentional acts of love and kindness will bring joy to our neighbors and ourselves. Ken’s legacy of presents serves as a reminder that love, compassion, and kindness are the gifts our world truly needs.
– Rev. Keith King, Pastor of Worship
