Acts of kindness

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I recently went to visit my friend who lives with her elderly father. Almost all her father’s movement had gone. And after he had experienced a major stroke, sadly his speech went too.

I walked into the living room, where her father was gently propped up in the corner in a chair, with a warm blanket over his lap. I felt awkward, unsure what to say, if anything. I feel a particular kind of helplessness when I realise that presence is all I really have to offer.

Then he looked up. And he smiled. A slow, gentle smile that travelled straight across the room and landed right in my chest.

It reminded me how easy it is to forget the power of the smallest kindnesses.

Psychologists talk about “micro-moments” - tiny signals that regulate our nervous system and tell us we’re safe, seen, connected. A smile, a nod, a softening of the eyes.

And this idea - that no act of kindness is too small - runs through so many wise teachings. The Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, understood by Muslims to be the last of tens of thousands of Prophets sent by God, said: “Your smile for another is a charity.”  There’s a story about a man who once came to Muhammad trembling. He’d heard that prophets were powerful figures and was terrified of making a mistake. Muhammad immediately smiled warmly. He said: “Be calm. I’m not a king. I am only the son of a woman who used to eat dried meat.” Maybe like the child of a mum today who keeps a good biscuit tin no-one is allowed to open. His smile grounded the moment in shared humanity, and transformed the whole encounter into one of gentleness.

When I left that living room, my friend’s father raised his eyebrows - his version of “goodbye.” It lasted less than a second. But somehow it felt like a blessing. Proof that even when life narrows, the capacity for kindness doesn’t disappear.

And it made me wonder whether I should pay more attention to the small acts I offer others.
Life gives countless opportunities every day. I could use at least one more of them to smile.

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