The Kindness of Strangers

When I was growing up in Hawaii there was a man who used to walk along the main highway pushing a shopping cart. Everyone in town recognized him because at one time or another they had all driven by him… and his shopping cart. No one seemed to know the man’s real name; rather we just called him “Cart Man.” I thought about him the other day when I read about a similar man, who lives in a suburb not to far from where I currently reside in Wisconsin. Benjamin Steinbach is an 85-year-old man who used his riding lawn … Continue reading

Marriage Tips: Generosity

Be kind to your spouse. Treat him or her the way you want to be treated, which means being generous on every level. When it comes to complements, don’t hold back. Be generous and let your mate know how wonderful, or smart, or talented, or beautiful, you think he or she is. It’s good for your spouse to hear pride in your voice, to be praised and reassured. The added benefit is that your husband or wife will learn to respond to your generosity, and it will become reciprocal. Be generous in times of trouble. Everybody makes mistakes, has accidents, … Continue reading

Overcome Evil with Good

Christians should always be set apart in the world. In the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5:13 Jesus said, “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.” Christians should be different from the world in everything that they do from the way they speak to the way they work. When dealing with enemies or others who might do evil to them, Christians have the opportunity to be a shining light … Continue reading

What is happening to common kindness?

My husband came home from the Priesthood to give his usual report. He told me that President Hinckley gave an excellent talk and that he had never heard him speak so strongly. I was anxious to read the words of the prophet to the brethren. President Hinckley focused on the need to be kind to each other. He said: “I have wondered why there is so much hatred in the world. We are involved in terrible wars with lives lost and many crippling wounds. Coming closer to home, there is so much of jealousy, pride, arrogance, and carping criticism; fathers … Continue reading