“The kind man feeds his cat before sitting down to dinner.”
Hebrew Proverb
I have always loved Proverbs so here are some of my favourites about the positive influence of kindness as we enter the fun, sometimes silly season of Christmas and holidays.
I am going to begin with ancient words of from King Solomon who wisely said, “An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up.” How good is this and how simple to do – we just need to say something genuinely kind, rather than something unkind or indifferent.
The English Proverb says, “Kind words do not cost much. Yet they accomplish much”. Their neighbours, the Irish, have a quirky maxim, “A kind word never broke anyone’s mouth,” and across the waters, the French say, “Write injuries in sand, kindnesses in marble”.
There is a beautiful Proverb from the Japanese who say, “One kind word can warm three winter months.”
The Ancient Greek’s said, “Kindness begets kindness” and again the words of King Solomon, “Whoever is kind to the needy honours God.”
There are a couple of Proverbs that make me smile; from Saudi Arabia, “A kind word can attract even the snake from his nest,” and from Russia, “A word of kindness is better than a fat pie!”
But a favourite from the Hebrew people and for all cat lovers: “The kind man feeds his cat before sitting down to dinner.”
Let’s be kind. This is a good year kinwomen.
No Regrets, Penny