Dedicated in loving memory to my mother, Doris GreenBurche�, a woman who really and truly knew how to giveand show love to all she ever encountered. I sincerely loveand miss her.

RAND OM ACTS OF KINDNESS,A JO URNEY

bbyy BBeevveerrllyy AA.. BBuurrcchheetttt

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I, admittedly, have a passion for life. Though, is it possible toenjoy it no matter what? Some might say that that type ofresolve borders on insanity; however, believers in God call this

phenomenon joy, which is the state of being content in spite of one’scircumstances admittedly, this takes practice. I had a car accidentrecently that totaled my brand new, unpaid-for, slightly used vehicle.Once I mentally assessed the damage, spoke to the youthful,preoccupied, unharmed other driver (the one who caused theaccident), the police officers on the scene, the firemen and all of thespectators, I sat and waited for a tow truck whilst eating what wasleft of the bacon, egg and cheese sandwich purchased prior to thisevent. My original plan had been to be sitting in front of mytelevision set watching the many home improvement programs on“The Learning Channel” with my reheated breakfast in front of me.Instead, I watched through the opening of my unhinged car door asthe sun set perfectly between two buildings up ahead. I marveled athow beautiful it all was as the magical rays transformed the colorsof the beige stone to a mellow orange. I still was aware of thedamage I’d have to pay for to have things repaired, the long days ofdelays of recovering through the insurance company’s red tape, andthe endless walking to and fro with errands to complete and yet,right there and then in the mist of my airbag dust settling on thesurfaces of my car’s interior, I was at peace. I thought to myself,what an odd place to find peace. It was at that moment of quietreflection that I remembered how distraught the other driver hadbeen, how she had been in tears the whole time, weepinguncontrollably. Ironically, I was the one who kept telling her thateverything was going to be all right. I felt somehow concernedabout her, as if I knew her personally, though we had never met.Almost reflexively I wanted to make sure she was safe andunharmed. Then before she drove off, in her car that didn’t have a

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scratch on it, I even hugged her and repeated, “Everything will beall right.” Though I did so sincerely, by reaching out to her, Iactually felt better about my situation. Then, I looked over at my car,cradling the curb, sitting in a pool of motor oil, indeed ruined, butthere in lies the simplicity of peace, things were ruined, not life.Life continued on and on in its own force, will and determination.And, I was happy to still be a resilient part of that life. Then withlukewarm, unsweetened coffee in hand, I thanked God for HIS graceand HIS unmerited favor. For that day could have turned out awhole lot differently for me.

The heart of this book is thusly, Jesus said that there were two commandmentson which all the other commandments hinged; Matthew 22:37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thyGod with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is likeunto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 40 On these twocommandments hang all the law and the prophets.

These commandments have been the source of many dynamic,marvelously awe inspiring sermons by some of the most prolificpriests, pastors and reverends. I am not one of them, nor do I wishto pretend I am or am I called to be. I would like to offer an assist,much like the basketball sports fan in the last row of MadisonSquare Garden’s enormous arena giving the National BasketballAssociation tips on playing the game. It’s simple, I have found inlife that there is seldom any good news talked about these days.Honestly, it grieves me greatly to say it, but it’s true. And yet, Iwonder, “Could it be possible that we have to create some goodnews of our own?”, peace on earth one piece at a time, spreadinggood cheer all year; for so much of that which we hear is a reflectionof the person(s) telling us the tale. If their heart is cheerless and

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filled with complaints, then their message adapts a similar character.I would like to challenge the term, ‘random acts of violence’, andflip it on its head. I believe that I must take responsibility, in smallpart, for this reality and hopefully I’m not alone. By penning thisbook, I pray that it rekindles for some and ignites for others anavalanche of acts of kindness. I believe that it is my duty to do so.I believe that I am my brother’s keeper. So, when given theopportunity, comforting a young, frightened driver did become moreimportant to me than the damage done to one of my possessions. Ephesians 2:8For it is by grace you have been saved, throughfaith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9not byworks, so that no one can boast. 10For we are God's workmanship,created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in ad-vance for us to do.

These are just a few of the things that I do as acts of kindness. I’msure that you have many more.

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11..SSaayy aa ssiilleenntt pprraayyeerr ffoorr aannyyoonnee wwhhoo ccrroosssseess

yyoouurr ppaatthh ttooddaayy..3 John 1:2 Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health andthat all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting alongwell.

Matthew 6:6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the doorand pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who seeswhat is done in secret, will reward you.

This makes the list because so many souls may not have anyonewho is actively in prayer for them. You may be the only one intheir lives planting a seed for their salvation, for their healing,for their peace of mind, for their restoration, for their financialhealth, for their family’s health and well being…for them.

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22..rroouugghhoouutt tthhee ddaayy ffoorrggiivvee ssoommeeoonnee wwhhoo

hhaass hhuurrtt yyoouu..Matthew 6:14 For if you forgive men when they sin against you,your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15But if you do notforgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

This act of kindness makes the list because we place ourselves in bondageor debt when we fail to forgive. The person who wronged us does not carrythe debt – we do. I knew a man once who asked me in all sincerity how toforgive a boss who had hurt him so very deeply that after being fired, hecontinued to stand in front of the office building for two months in wait forhis ex-boss. I gathered every line of scripture I could find on forgiveness andemailed them to him, prefacing the email by saying to simply read it throughand we’d discuss everything that following morning. I didn’t want him totry to interpret the Word of God without (not mine but) Godly assistance.To my surprise, he emailed me that very next morning saying the mostamazing thing. He said that that night he slept better than he had in years,ten years to be exact. When asked why, though I knew the Holy Spirit hadanswered his prayer, he replied saying that he had no idea that forgivenesshad nothing to do with the other person. I almost cried thinking of God’swisdom. When we forgive someone who has wronged us, we are in essencegiving them unmerited favor, a gift, much like God gives us. In return, Godgraciously releases the forgiver from debt. As in the model prayer, Matthew6:12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors…” I thanked myfriend for reading the scripture with an open mind and for diligently seekinganswers. Then I thanked God for allowing me once again to witness HISblessings for I believe in my heart that God’s Word saved two men’s livesthat day.

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33.. OOffffeerr yyoouurr sseeaatt oonn tthhee ttrraaiinn,, bbuuss,, ffeerrrryy oorr aannyyootthheerr mmooddee ooff ppuubblliicc ttrraannssppoorrttaattiioonn yyoouu fifinndd

yyoouurrsseellff ssiittttiinngg oonn,, ttoo ssoommeeoonnee eellssee.. IItt ddooeessnnoott mmaatttteerr tthheeiirr rraaccee,, ccrreeeedd,, ccoolloorr oorr aaggee..

Matthew 6:1 Take heed that you do not do your charitable deedsbefore men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward fromyour Father in heaven. 2Therefore, when you do a charitable deed,do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in thesynagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men.Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 3But when you do acharitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right handis doing, 4that your charitable deed may be in secret; and yourFather who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.

This makes the list because even the smallest act of kindness andthe little sacrifices we make are recognized by God.

"I long to accomplish a great and noble task, but it ismy chief duty to accomplish small tasks as if they

were great and noble."-Helen Keller (1880-1968)

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44..WWhheenn ssttaannddiinngg oonn lliinnee ––

aa.. SSttaanndd oonn tthhee lliinnee –– DDoonn’’tt ccrreeaattee aa nneeww lliinnee wwhheerree yyoouu aarree nnooww aatt tthheehheeaadd.. NNoorr sshhoouulldd yyoouu ssttaanndd aaddjjaacceenntt ttoo tthhee llaasstt ppeerrssoonn oonn lliinnee.. iissmmiigghhtt ccoommee aass aa sshhoocckk ffoorr ssoommee bbuutt yyoouu aarree nnooww,, iinn ffaacctt,, TTHHEELLAASSTT PPEERRSSOONN OONN LLIINNEE..

bb.. DDoo ssttaanndd aatt lleeaasstt ttwwoo ffeeeett bbeehhiinndd tthhee ppeerrssoonn iinn oonntt ooff yyoouu –– DDoonn’’ttssttaanndd ssoo cclloossee ttoo tthheemm tthhaatt yyoouu nnooww ccaannnnoott sseeee tthhee hheeeellss ooff tthheeiirr sshhooeesswwiitthhoouutt ppllaacciinngg yyoouurr cchhiinn uunnccoommffoorrttaabbllyy ttoo yyoouurr cchheesstt..

cc.. DDoo ooffffeerr ccoonnvveerrssaattiioonn tthhaatt iiss uupplliiiinngg –– DDoonn’’tt ccoommppllaaiinn aabboouutt tthheelleennggtthh ooff tthhee lliinnee,, oorr tthhee aammoouunntt ooff ttiimmee yyoouu’’vvee bbeeeenn wwaaiittiinngg oonn tthheelliinnee..

This makes the list because it is an act of courtesy. Enteringsomeone’s personal space is invasive, often threatening andshould only be entered into by invitation. A public space, on acrowded line with a group of strangers does not constitute aninvite. This also speaks to our awareness of other people aroundus and our opportunity to show them respect. If we want theirspot on line, we are coveting what they have.

"Love is doing small things with great love."-Mother Teresa (1910-1997)

"Conscience is God's presence in man."-Emanuel Swedenborg (1688-1772)

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55..BBuuyy fifivvee ttoo tteenn ggiiss.. eeyy ddoonn’’tt hhaavvee ttoo bbeeeexxppeennssiivvee oonneess.. WWrraapp tthheemm nniicceellyy.. eennddeecciiddee wwhhoo yyoouu wwiillll ggiivvee tthheemm ttoo aass yyoouu aarreelleedd.. DDeelliivveerr tthhee ggiiss wwiitthh aa ssmmiillee.. WWhheennaasskkeedd bbyy tthhee rreecciippiieennttss ‘‘wwhhyy ffoorr’’ jjuusstt tteellll tthheemmtthhaatt yyoouu wweerree iinnssppiirreedd ttoo ddoo ssoo..

2 Corinthians 8:7 But just as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech,in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us see that youalso excel in this grace of giving. 8I am not commanding you, but I wantto test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness ofothers. 9For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though hewas rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through hispoverty might become rich.

This makes the list as a challenge for you to try and be led by theHoly Spirit first with the purchasing of gifts. I’ve done this andstored items in the attic with no particular person in mind towhom I would give the gift. Then someone would come to myhome and the Holy Spirit would remind me about something Ihave bought. It never fails, the receiver says that they havealways wanted whatever it is I’ve handed them. I’m convincedthat the Holy Spirit knows what others have need of.

66..WWhheenn ffoooodd sshhooppppiinngg,, fifillll aannootthheerr bbaagg ffuullll ooffssttaappllee ffoooodd iitteemmss aanndd ddeelliivveerr tthheemm ttoo ssoommeeoonneewwhhoo iiss iinn nneeeedd ooff ffoooodd.. IIff yyoouu’’rree ffeeeelliinngg rreeaallllyyiinnssppiirreedd,, bbee ssuurree ttoo iinncclluuddee ppaappeerr ppllaatteess,, ccuuppssaanndd uutteennssiillss..

Matthew 7:9 Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give hima stone? 10Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?

This makes the list because so often giving money is the firstthought we have for those in need. However, there are so manyamong us who are, unfortunately, going to bed hungry.

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77.. PPaarrkk yyoouurr ccaarr rreessppeeccttffuullllyy aatt aallll ttiimmeess.. II

ccoouulldd ggoo oonn aanndd oonn aanndd oonn aanndd oonn aanndd oonnaanndd oonn aanndd oonn wwiitthh tthhiiss oonnee..

HHoowweevveerr,, lleett mmee jjuusstt aasskk,, ““WWoouulldd yyoouu lliikkee ttoobbee tthhee ppeerrssoonn llooookkiinngg ffoorr aa ppaarrkkiinngg ssppaacceewwhheerree ssoommeeoonnee lliikkee yyoouurrsseellff hhaass ppaarrkkeedd??””

Titus 3 Christians should be model citizens thatprovide examples of right living to others insociety. As citizens of God’s kingdom, Christiansare guaranteed an eternal life with God.

This makes the list because our vehicles are an extension of us.We drive in a way that reflects our very personalities. Drivingaggressively aside, you can’t move forward unless some kindhearted person yields.

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About the Author

Beverly A. BurcheC placed second in the Billie Holiday Aeatre Poetry Contest andthusly her love of writing was spurred. She’s a graduate of the famed High School ofPerforming Arts, and has acted in a number of national commercials as well as a fewpopular Blms, including “Fame”, and “Joey Breaker.” Her latest works Queen Kinni,Smart, Sexy, Spiritual, Strong, and Open Doors, are available in stores and on-line atwww.blackcurrantpress.com. Beverly’s also a published lyrist, who resides in NewYork.