I was R.A.K.ed!!!

[Notice what is on the seat NOT how dirty my van seats are! YUCK!] After the girls' Christmas parties at school, we were all walking out to the van to drive home and I had someone randomly pull up next to me in their car and ask if they could talk to me for a second. I hesitantly walked over to these two women who were all decked out in Christmas attire. They handed me a candy cane with a Sonic gift card attached to it and said that I had been R.A.K.ed (a Random Act of Kindness). I don't even know how much is on the gift card, but every time I open up my wallet and see it, I smile. There is so many bad things going on in the world in which we live. Shootings in schools, corruption in politics, murders, theft, etc, etc, but when I look at that gift card I remember that there is also good....a lot of good. All though the bad seems to have overtaken the good because it is always in our face with the media, I believe that there is even more good going on in the world. For me, this random act of kindness couldn't have come at a better time. The last week I had really been struggling. As I sent my children off to school each day, I was desperately praying that they would be safe. The lingering sadness of the recent school shootings weighed heavily on my mind. But as I look at that gift card, I am reminded that all is not lost. There are still really good people out there who are trying their best to change the world, one act of kindness at a time. It has reminded me that I shouldn't crawl under a rock and hide my children, I need to be doing my part. I truly believe that this random act of kindness was not random at all. It was the Lord's way of using some very good people to remind me that there is still hope in humanity. And also, that there is so much good that needs to be done...in our homes, neighborhoods, and communities. When multiplied, one random act of kindness done by hundreds of people each day could change the world in which we live. I may not be able to stop a tragedy from occurring, but I can take cookies to my neighbors. I don't think I will ever spend the money on that Sonic card, or even find out how much is on there, because it doesn't matter. You can't put a price on lesson like the one I received. Thank you stranger for being an instrument in the Lord's hand and restoring my hope in mankind.