Be Kind: A Day of Mourning

Today, Wednesday, December 5th, is an official day of mourning in the United States.  The government offices will be closed (that means no mail folks) as will the stock market.  All of this is to honor our 41st President, George H.W. Bush who died on Friday at the age of 94.

I think it's important that we honor our leaders, no matter what our (or their) political affiliation.  We need to have a day of remembrance.  When a former President of our nation passes away, we should take time to reflect.  To remember what he accomplished and how he tried to better our country.  (I hope that someday this post will have to be changed so that it says he or she.  Perhaps sometime in the near future?)  It is not a time to bash or lash out.  There isn't a President who served who is not without "sin" (for lack of a better word).  Even the most revered of our former leaders have done things that have shamed our country and their legacy; its part of being human.   Every leader has their flaws; some more so than others.  I feel that the majority of our 44 past presidents honestly tried to do what was best for our/their country and served in an honorable and admirable way.  As a result I say, while we should not forget (or in some cases perhaps forgive) the bad, we also should not ignore the positive.  Good, in all forms, needs to be honored.

With that said, I hope that if nothing else, we try to be, as President Bush once said, a kinder, gentler America.  It's certainly something that we HAVEN'T been working toward for quite some time.  It's something that a leader needs to be; it's something we ALL should be.  Kindness hurts no one and can help so many.  Kindness can ripple out; touching lives that we never know about.  

Do something kind today.  Do it to honor our 41st President or do it just because.

Show the world your kindness and perhaps the world will be able to reflect it back to us.

Be kind.

Be kind today.

Be kind tomorrow.

Be kind always.