I have met amazing people. Human beings with hearts of gold.

They show up in my time of need and play their part. I call them angels in human form.

Let me tell you about two of such people. I’ll call them Aunty J and Piipi.

I met aunty J during my early years in Canada. She connected with my kids and I immediately and became family. As a new immigrant, finding a job was one of my major challenges.  After several rejection mails from companies that I had applied to (they refused to hire me because my availability did not match their work hours), one evening, I called Aunty J and told her I needed someone to talk to. I had no plans to ask her for help. I just wanted someone to listen to my lamentations.

“It is so frustrating! I don’t know if I’ll ever get a job until my kids are grown. I got another offer again today but it is a 10-6 shift. I can’t take it; at least, not now. I have to pick my kids up from school before 6pm. If I work that shift, who will do the pick up for me?”

I wailed!

She passed the tissue box to me.

“Nazo, who said you can’t take it? I just started my hourly child-care business and my house is a 5-minute walk to your kids’ school. I can get them after school, make dinner and you can drive by after your shift to pick them up.”

My face lit up! I wasn’t sure if I heard her right!

“Aunty J, are you sure?”

“Of course! I would ask that you pay a token though.…you know, it’s a business and I will have bills to pay. You don’t have to pay the regular price. I will give you a 50% discount for the time they spend here and the food. The pick-up is free.”

I wailed again! This time, with joy!

Aunty J laughed, pulled me close, hugged me and said,

“let’s just say you are the daughter I never had.”

I resumed work the next week and every day for five months, Aunty J kept her promise. She never missed a day. After the 5^th month, she decided to go on vacation. It was long overdue. I had to find an alternative for the three weeks that she was going to be away.

“I will take a chance and ask Piipi for a temporary reduction in my work hours. If he refuses, I’ll take my last option. Quit!”

That was me, having a conversation with myself. I always do, especially when I feel like I am stuck.

Piipi was my manager at work. A very cheerful, pleasant fellow with a large heart; always ready to listen, rarely had a frown and hardly under pressure. I knew I could talk to him.

“Hey Piipi, can I talk to you?”

“You want to leave early today?”

I chuckled.

“No, not today but next week…for three weeks actually.”

“Huh?”

As I made an attempt to explain in detail, he said,

“It’s fine. three weeks, right? I’ll schedule you to work 10-5 for three weeks. Is that okay?”

I sighed! This was a welcome relief for me.

“Thank you so much, Piipi. This means a lot to me.”

“You are welcome. Go and sort yourself out. You won’t be productive here if you are unsettled.”

 A few days after my conversation with Piipi, I saw an internal job posting on the notice board. It was a role I had silently prayed for. I applied, was interviewed and got hired for the role. It turned out to be one that allowed me to work a 9-5 shift. I didn’t need a replacement for aunty J anymore!

All this happened within my ‘three weeks of uncertainty’.

What if aunty J didn’t step in when I needed help? What if Piipi didn’t give me a chance when I asked for that favour? Maybe, just maybe I would have missed out on this opportunity. Thankfully, I didn’t because these two human beings chose to be kind.

Kindness is a virtue that every human being should have. Someone described it as –

“…caring about others and doing things to help make their lives better. When someone shows us kindness, we feel connected…When we do something nice for someone, we cultivate trust….”

Dear friends, kindness makes a huge difference.

It bridges the gap between giving up and going on.

It stirs up hopes that could have been dashed.

It lifts a man’s burdens and makes his load light.

It is a rock on which a man’s success can be built.

Above all, it is a part of the fruit of the Holy Spirit and there is no law that is against it.

“But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, KINDNESS, goodness, faithfulness and self-control. There is no law against these things!” (Galatians 5:22-23).

It is what the world needs and If there is a time to show kindness, it is now.