Conundrum

Have I mentioned the website that we've created in memory of my friend K.B. who died in January 2014? Actually, it was her husband who got it rolling. He started it as a way of encouraging the sort of generosity that typified K.B.'s life.

But we've run into a bit of a conundrum: how to gather stories about random acts of kindness from people who are too modest to "boast."
It seems we've all taken this passage to heart:

"Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven." Matthew 6:1

Or perhaps we're just too Canadian. I was thinking about that today as I (finally) took another step forward in thanking a stranger who performed a random act of kindness that benefitted me.

Earlier this winter, when temperatures had briefly fluctuated from the zero double-digits, I lost the ice cleats that strapped onto my boots and helped me navigate the treacherous paths without doing a faceplant.

One of the cleats had slipped off the boot and, though Kane and I retraced our steps, it was not to be found. To make matters worse, the store no longer carried those cleats in my size.

Fortunately, Steve managed to find it later: someone had hooked it on a gate post!

For weeks since then, I have planned to buy a Tim Horton's gift card and hang it to the same post, as a thank-you to that good Samaritan. Today, I'm sharing my story to encourage you to "pay it forward," to share your gratitude, even if you can't thank the specific individual who touched your life.

Here's my note:

I'll be sharing this story on the KindnessbyKB blog as well, in hopes of encouraging others to share their stories of kindness and generosity. Do you have one to share?

UPDATE: Here is a picture of the note left on the actual post.