If I’m being honest, I usually don’t talk about these things. Not because I don’t care—but precisely because I do. I was raised with a Christian outlook, and one teaching that stayed with me is this: true kindness doesn’t need a spotlight.

Matthew 6:3 says, “Do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.”

And it’s not just Christianity that teaches this. Across faiths—Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism—the message is echoed: give with a pure heart. Give without fanfare. Give without expecting anything in return. That thread of quiet generosity weaves through belief systems worldwide, and even though I’m no longer Christian, I still hold this teaching close.

Still, because I believe stories can plant seeds—I’ll share a few examples of the ways I give. Not for applause, but for connection.

I’ve sold my car to help someone I love. I’ve bought goodies, groceries, and gifts just because someone needed celebrating—or comforting. I’ve paid for products or services someone couldn’t afford at the time. I don’t always broadcast it, but I do it because it’s who I am. Because it feels right. Because love comes in many forms—and mine often shows up as action.

Years ago, I made a quiet decision that changed me. I had deep feelings for someone—and I had made plans to sit with him and share some poetry I had written. But when I went to meet him, another girl who also liked him was already there. They were talking, and something in me knew it wasn’t the time to press forward. I stepped back—not out of weakness, but out of respect for the moment. I told myself that day: I will be second to none. That was my way of honoring myself and letting go with love.

And the beautiful part? He still chose me. That experience taught me that sometimes, choosing grace over control leads to the love we hoped for—just in its own timing.

Sometimes, kindness is as small as a warm cookie or a bouquet of flowers. Sometimes it’s something bigger, like the moment I wrote about in From Rocks to Rings: My Love for Life’s Little Treasures. While recovering in the hospital earlier this year, I met a woman whose birthday landed on the day I was being discharged. I had just received a collection of new rings for my own birthday, and without hesitation, I offered her her pick. She opened the first box and said, “I don’t even need to see the rest. This is the one.” It found her as much as she found it.

Then there was the day I brought cinnamon rolls to the community center—not while I was working there, but afterward, simply because I wanted to. Two pans: one for the staff, one for the folks who didn’t have a warm home that day. And during the time I was employed there, I helped in other ways, too. I bought bus passes. I offered gas money when I could. No one asked—I just paid attention and did what made sense to me.

That entire experience is something I reflected on in A Brief Encounter, A Lasting Impact, a post about my short-term role and the powerful lessons it left behind.

One of my favorite memories from that time? A young man came in and asked if I had a stylus. I didn’t—not at work—but I had one at home. I told him I’d try to remember. I didn’t see him again for a couple of weeks, but when he returned, I had that stylus ready. The look on his face when he realized he’d been remembered—not just seen once, but held in someone’s mind long enough to follow through—moved me more than I can explain.

And every year on New Year’s Eve—assuming I don’t have plans—I quietly make myself available for anyone who needs a ride. I don’t believe in drinking and driving. Not ever. Especially when you’ve got a standing offer to get home safe and show up tomorrow, no matter what you have planned.

That’s why I give. Not to be praised, but because being remembered matters.

I don’t do these things every day. But I do them often, and I do them when it makes sense (even did a little something something today). Whether it’s a ring, a ride, a kind word, or a cinnamon roll—I give because I love. I give because it’s who I am. I give because kindness, in any form, can ripple farther than we ever see.

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? What’s one act of kindness you’ve experienced or witnessed that left a mark on your heart?
Tuck it into your heart today.