Kindness

by Erick Carter

This month’s article is about all the kindness and generosity of Collier County in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma.

Looking through old articles, I came across a paper my son wrote when he was 12 years old. I felt it was appropriate since he and many other kids gave of their time during their Irma break to help others.

KINDNESS

‘’Kindness is the sunshine in which virtue grows,” said by the great Robert Green Ingersoll. Kindness is around us every day seen and unseen. Seen: you pick up someone’s wallet in front of city hall and give it to the police. Unseen: picking up someone’s books inc the hall for them when they look like they need a friend to talk to. It is also an act of kindness to sit by someone in the cafeteria when cno one is sitting with them.

Things small and big, seen and unseen are all acts of kindness. A great act of kindness was seen by the whole world in 1941. When the “Greatest Generation” sacrificed their lives, leaving their homes and families to protect our rights and freedom. To honor their kindness and virtue, in 2004, our leaders made a World War II memorial.

Firefighters also do great acts of kindness and virtue by running into burning buildings to save the young and old alike, along with pets.They do all this with no regard for their own lives. They can be seen at red lights with boots and helmets in hand, collecting charity money for the less fortunate. They have very kind hearts, sometimes their acts are not seen by news crews and helicopters.

The firefighters perform acts of kindness by going to preschools, showing children that when in a fire they are the good guys, not monsters emerging from the smoke.

“Those who believe that we’re in a time when there are no heroes…just don’t know where to look,” said Ronald Reagan.

Every time we do an act of kindness no matter how big or small, seen, and/or unseen we put a ray of sunshine in that person’s life,becoming their hero.

Blake Carter

10/15/15

Thank you to all our heroes.