There are few things more contagious than love and kindness. When someone shares genuine love, it is often reciprocated. Love and kindness often cause a ripple, like a rock tossed into a quiet body of water. I have seen this happen repeatedly. When someone leads with kindness, it inspires others to act in the same way. When intentional love is witnessed, it inspires others to do good.
This is what happened in the small community of White Lake, Michigan. Dianne Gordon was on her way home from work when she stepped into a local convenience store to get a snack. As she was leaving, she saw a bag on the ground. She picked it up and discovered that the bag contained a large amount of money. To be exact, the bag contained $14,700 in cash. Dianne was shocked that this bag was on the ground, and she knew she needed to get it into the right hands. She called the police, who responded and began to work to find the rightful owners.
As they searched through the bag, Dianne and the police found a stack of cards. When they read the cards, they realized the bag contained gifts from a wedding. The wedding had just taken place earlier that day. They were able to locate the newlyweds and return their gifts. It was all because of Dianne’s kindness and honesty.
When the police officer asked Dianne a few questions, he realized something about her that inspired an act of kindness from the community of White Lake. Dianne told the officer that she walked just over two miles a day two and from work. Her own car had been broken down for some time and the 65-year-old grandmother was not able to fix it or pay for a new vehicle. The officer, Brad Connell, told her he would be giving her a ride every chance he could. Dianne was so grateful!
The kindness did not stop there. When Officer Connell got home that evening and told his wife, Stacy, about Dianne and her loving kindness, Stacy took her husband’s offer one step further. Stacy took to social media to tell the story. She and Officer Connell opened a Go Fund Me account for Dianne. Dianne’s gesture of kindness spread like ripples on the water. Before long, the account had collected over $67,000. This past week, the community of White Lake presented Dianne with a new Jeep. Dianne has already began using her new car to take others to work who need transportation.
Each day, we must choose how we will act. It is my prayer that this wonderful story of generosity, love, and kindness will inspire us to act in the same manner. Look for opportunities today to share God’s love. How can we share the same love that God has given us with others around us? When we operate in kindness, we will change the world with the ripples we create.
– Rev. Keith King, Pastor of Worship
