More Than Earrings

I have always admired these earrings, and recently a stranger gave them to me. Well, she's not really a stranger -- she's a resident in my apartment complex, but I don't know her very well.

She said, "These are for you. I'm sorry about your grandmother. My grandfather passed away in December, and it's still hard. I've been thinking about you."

I said, "How did you know I loved these earrings?"

She said, "I wore them in the office once, and you said how much you liked them."

How thoughtful. How perceptive. How kind.

I want to be like that. I want to listen to people and empathize with their stories. I want to bless people -- even people I'm not necessarily close to. I want to take opportunities to show kindness and compassion and friendship.

Now I have the earrings I've loved for a long time. But more than that, I have the kindness of a stranger friend and the memory of my grandmother bound up in my heart when I wear them.