Kindnesses Don’t Always Come Easily (06/27/2026)

We have new neighbors in the neighborhood. I’m the secretary for our condo association, and I was asked to get a plant for their new home which I did. And I made a folder for them with the directory of neighbors, last month’s newsletter, and the rules and regulations. Plans were made for the board to go together to welcome them. And when the time came, I put the folder and the plant in my car and headed to that address.

Just as I pulled up, I got a text, “Their car is gone.” Then a second text came, “Let’s do it at 6.” So, I drove back home, set my phone alarm for 5:55. And when the alarm went off, I got back in my car with the plant and folder and headed down. The other two board members arrived, but the car was still gone. They didn’t want to go unless both new neighbors were home. So, we decided to try at 6 p.m. the next day.

At 2 p.m. yesterday, I got a text that both new neighbors were home. I got the plant and folder, but before I headed down, I called the board member who hadn’t responded. He was out of town. So, I put the welcoming goodies back on my counter and set my alarm for 5:55 p.m.

At 4:30 p.m. yesterday, I got a text. “Both the car and truck of the new neighbors are gone.” So, I went into “on call” mode, waiting for a text saying they were home and come. It never came. The plant and the folder are still on my counter. Sometimes, doing a kindness is harder than one would think.

I am sure that sometime soon, I will get the text that the welcoming visit is back on and to bring the goodies. In the meantime, I need to make sure I don’t kill the plant or lose the folder.

As I pondered on my porch at the end of the day, the welcoming fiasco reminded me of previous times in my life when all I was trying to do was something good, but it wasn’t easy and didn’t go as planned. And the word for the day came to me…perseverance. Yep, what I needed to remember was the LORD’s command for perseverance, for continued effort to achieve a good, for persistence in spite of setbacks, delays, and difficulties. I guess if good was always easy, Jesus wouldn’t have had to make such a point about persisting.

Do the right thing, the kind thing, the loving thing, even when it isn’t the easy thing. Yep, I believe that is what we are called to do.

Until tomorrow, let us all love well.