I don’t know who this man is, just a friend of my grandfather’s. He stopped by to show me a baby porcupine he had rescued and was caring for. He respects my hesitancy, even as he smiles reassuringly. After all, what little girl would want to approach a porcupine?

The kindness of strangers can be comforting in challenging situations, even if they don’t involve porcupines. At the doctor’s office yesterday, the new nurse went out of her way to make me feel at ease. She never said that I looked nervous; she just was consistently kind in her manner and warm in her countenance.

I am making it a point this Advent to focus on kindness I see in others’ small gestures. It can be someone opening a door, carrying someone else’s suitcase, or giving directions to a lost motorist.

There is a lot of quiet kindness going on around us if we stop to look for it.