01.14.2026 | Ordinary Wednesday

The Work of Ordinary Kindness
 
The sun is shining on this chilly morning. The weather is shifting, and I can feel it in my old bones on this blustery January day. Like the roots in this picture, my arthritic joints are feeling the pressure changes. I keep moving. Keep going. Keep up the exercise and the gardening. But the pain is real, and I am slowing down.
 
Realizing that you are slowing down and cannot do the things you once did with ease is a hard truth for this old man to accept. Yet it is becoming an ever-present reality. I find myself looking for help more often, asking others to do the things I once handled on my own.
 
Fred Rogers once told us, “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.” Sometimes we have to look a little harder to see them, but they are there. This morning, a young man in a truck full of ladders and tools is outside working on this old brick cottage, doing such a fine job. I am grateful for him, and if I am honest, a bit envious of his strength and skill.
 
It can be difficult to find the helpers in times of need. In the world we are living in today, we need them more than ever. And sometimes it is hard to know who the helpers are. When I was a kid, we were taught that if you needed help, you could always find a police officer. That is not necessarily the case today.
 
Still, look for the helpers. We see them every day. The people who show up. The people doing the necessary work. The volunteers at food banks. The folks at ID sites helping people move forward. The helpers are there.
 
We need to remember that we are called to be helpers too. Helpers in whatever way we can. Sometimes it is physical labor. Sometimes it is monetary support or needed supplies. We do what we can with what we have in that moment. We are called to be helpers.
 
With everything happening in this country and the world, it is easy to feel overwhelmed. We are filled with grief. I ask myself often, what can I do? And the answer keeps coming back. Be a helper in whatever way possible. Be the helper. Be the change. Be kind. Kindness matters.
 
Simple. Ordinary. Kindness.
 
Galatians 6:2
Bear one another’s burdens, and in this way, you will fulfill the law of Christ.
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