Kindness matters

Happy New Year Lions,
 
Kindness Matters. Over the holiday season, I read news stories about how a simple disagreement lead to someone’s injury or death. One such story was about an argument over what to watch on TV; someone was shot and killed over this. So why would I start my first article of the new year, with such a sad commentary?
 
Kindness Matters. It lead me to consider the times over the past year when I have been less than kind. Most of the time these acts of perceived unkindness were not intentional. Sometimes, I was unkind as a gut reaction to something someone had done; such as shutting someone down for interrupting a presentation I was giving. Yet, there was one act of unkindness that stands out among all the rest and that was to one of my club members, Lion Ray. It doesn’t matter why it happened, it just did. I embarrassed Lion Ray in front of some guests he had at a club meeting. While I apologized to Lion Ray afterwards, the harm had been done – I had not been kind.
 
Kindness Matters. So do words and actions. As we begin this new year, let us resolve to be more kind to our family, friends, neighbors, and fellow Lions. Past Council Chair David Radtke (who by the way is running for International Director at the February convention) tells the story of how each day he puts on his Lion pin (you know the one you received when you became a Lion) upside down. It remains that way until he does an act of kindness. Sometimes simple gestures keep us focused.
 
Kindness Matters. The acts of kindness I am referring to are those sincere acts. We are kind because we want to be, not for ourselves, but for the people we are kind to. I ask each of you to join me this year in being kind. The more acts of kindness we do, the more we will discover our world is a better place to be.
 
Together leading our legacy into the future,
 
Mark Piva
1st VDG
[email protected]