Happy Rosh Hashanah. Wait!! Isn’t this a Christmas Blog. Well, I’d like to share with you the Christmas lesson that I received during the Jewish New Year.

One Saturday morning in September, I was driving through a narrow street. Suddenly I felt the dreaded thud of my car mirror hitting another car. I pulled up until I found a spot where I could safely pull over. The other car pulled in front of me. When I got out I could see the mirror of the other car dangling from its hinges. “Oh no”,I thought. When I looked closer at the car I realized it was a very expensive car(and thus a very expensive mirror). The gentleman was very civil despite the situation and I greeted him by apologizing. It was my mistake. We exchanged information and agreed that we would decide how to further handle the situation. Later that day I got the most surprising text of my life:

In brevity the text included the following:

Tonight starts the Jewish New Year. My parents who are both gone, always taught me to do an act of kindness for the new year. My parents were Holocaust survivors and 90% of their family were murdered by the Nazis for being Jewish. Despite this they raised me to think of others not only yourself. I have decided that I will take care of the full cost of repairing my car. I ask of you to do kindness for a stranger.

He continued by telling me about an organization in which he is involved . I immediately followed up by seeking out ways in which I could support the organization. We communicated back and forth sharing more life stories. I told him about the wonderful work being done at Marble.

I’ve shared this story with friends and others who might be questioning the kindness of humanity. Each time I read the texts sent by my new friend it ignites the spirit of Christmas in me. I ask myself, “What more can I do?” May I encourage you to do the same?

Shared by Denise Kaaland