Acts of Kindness

We live in a world where all too often our attention is drawn to the wrongs that people do. Sometimes teenagers get a particularly bad rap. I am more aware each day of the joy I derive from my day-to-day connections with the teenagers I have the privilege of working with in our King’s-Edgehill School community. Whether it’s the vanload of students who go to Reading Buddies with me each Monday at lunchtime or the group that gets driven to Harvest House on Tuesdays, smiles abound on the way and back. I’m a believer that service is joy, and the more we give, the happier we feel. The best kinds of service are the acts of kindness that happen when nobody is looking, and no reward is expected. They just make you feel “A-OK.” I think these happen all the time. Such was the case this past Monday, when our students did their regular afternoon run to Martock for their snow sport activities. From their seat on the chairlift, three of our Grade 9 students, Isabella Barker ’27, Jada Moxam ’27, and Addy Smith ’27, spotted an older man who had fallen near the top of the hill. While other skiers flew by without stopping, the girls made their way over to help the man up. They ensured he was ok, and then stayed with him, leading him safely down the hill. Later, Jada spotted the man in the chairlift line and joined him again for a second run down the hill. I could not have been prouder of them for their actions. When I spoke to them about what they did, they just smiled warmly and didn’t think much of it.

“There is no exercise better for the heart than reaching down and lifting people up.” – John Holmes