Kindness Was Their Life Preserver

What does kindness mean to you, and how has it impacted your life? I asked that question of Kelli Kurtz, executive director of institutional advancement at Stephen T. Badin High School (a high school of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati). Her answer reminds us that those random acts of kindness – people who, without need or want of anything in return go out of their way to reach out a hand to lift you up, just when you need it, have far reaching impact.

In her own words…

“Kindness has certainly touched my life in ways I never imagined. Our family has been blinded by some extremely challenging times these past 3 years, and it nearly sucked the wind right out of us. The countless and unexpected acts of kindness shown to our family were like being thrown a life preserver until we could touch bottom again.

When our youngest son was diagnosed with a brain tumor at the age of 12, we were blessed with Meal Trains, gift cards, hospital blessing boxes, edible arrangements, donations of hotel points and gas cards (since we were traveling to Chicago for his care.) But one unexpected and unbelievably kind act stands out from all the rest this past year, when we suddenly lost our beloved 11-year-old labradoodle to cancer. Thanks to social media, our friends and family knew of this devastating diagnosis and tremendous loss. (As you can imagine, Rudy had served as our family’s permanent life raft during this tumultuous and painful time.)

A week after Rudy passed, I received a letter from Waussau, Wisconsin–the home of my college roommate and her family. Her sweet mom followed me on Facebook, and knew of our loss. She was also keenly aware of the rough seas we had been navigating for some time.

She sent a beautiful card, with a check for $100 with this inscription: “Nothing is more important than family. Honor Rudy’s memory by spending time together, comforting and loving one another through your pain. I hope this helps.”

I will never forget her touching tribute to Rudy and our family. In the fog of our loss, I don’t even remember exactly what we did, but what I do remember is how we felt–loved. And whole for the first time in a long time.

~Kelli Kurtz