Have you ever gone to the store and then forgotten why you were there?

It happened to me this week. I only needed a couple of things, so I didn’t bother with a list. But by the time I finally found a parking place and struggled to find a cart without squeaky wheels, my mind was blank. I had no idea why I was there.

So I did what women do and decided to wander the aisles, hoping something would spark my memory. Halfway through the store, my cart was full, but I was pretty sure I didn’t have what I’d come for.

It sort of matched how I felt – my holiday calendar was full, but somehow my heart still felt a little empty.

As I began the search for a check-out line with less than 2,000 people, I noticed her. A little girl, tightly gripping a handful of candy canes, smiling as people grumpily got in one of the longer lines in the store. Timidly she handed each one a candy cane and said, “Merry Christmas.”

I watched as frustrated shoppers’ faces softened, touched by the kindness (and cuteness) of a little girl. When I got home, I remembered two things: what I’d gone to the store to buy (and hadn’t) – half and half – and what I really needed: to remember that kindness to others is the simplest path to peace within our hearts.

I’ve been thinking about Elizabeth. Imagine how she felt after all those years of barrenness to now be pregnant with a miracle. And yet when her cousin Mary arrived with the news of her own unexpected and probably uncelebrated pregnancy, Elizabeth greeted Mary with what must have seemed the greatest kindness, saying, “How could this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” Her words must have been a soothing balm for Mary, who was certainly still reeling from the reality of her situation and questions about how it would all work out.

Kindness isn’t always about doing big things.  In fact, sometimes it’s the smallest things that reveal the greatest kindness – a listening ear, a gracious word, even a thoughtful smile.

Maybe what this last week before Christmas needs isn’t a checked-off list but ears ready to listen and eyes ready to see. I don’t want to miss the kindnesses of others, and I want to make sure I’m sharing the kindness of God with those around me.