Please Be Kind...

I feel really compelled to share with you something MAGICAL that happened today...
I have a friend at work, Ms. M. I speak to her every time we run into each other (about twice a week). We don't know one another very well, but there is something that always clicks between the two of us...it's as if we've known each other for years!
When we first met, I ran into Ms. M in the lobby, smiled at her and said ,"Bonjour!" When she learned that I spoke french, her face just lit up! She was so excited she literally had tears coming from her eyes. She responded with an extatic, "BONJOUR, JOLIE DAME," and since that moment, every time we meet, we smile at one another and exchange gestures in French (as that is her native language). There has not been one time I have seen her without that bright and beautiful smile on her face, and she is always sure to compliment me and tell me how beautiful I am.
Today, Ms. M came upstairs to my office because she wanted to share a story with me. She told me that she is just overcome with joy and happiness when she sees me because I remind her so much of her daughter. She went on to tell me that her daughter passed away in France just one week before she was scheduled to fly to the Unites States to visit her. She was only 24-years-old. Every time Ms. M sees me, she is overflowing with emotions because she feels like she is with her daughter once again.
I share this with you to say that we never know how much joy and happiness we can bring to others just by being kind, saying hello, or greeting our neighbors with a smile. I am honored to be that vessel for Ms. M -- to bring back those fond memories of her daughter. I cried when she told me this story, and before she walked away she said, "you are beautiful inside and out, and I am so glad God chose you to help me remember my daughter." Now I know why Ms. M smiles at me every time she sees me, even when she is a little down. As a mother, I cannot even fathom the pain one must feel after losing a child, so please remember to always be kind to others. You never know what someone else may be going through. She may be thankful for me, but what an impact she had on my life at that very moment.