My wife and I just celebrated the tenth anniversary of our move to Morgan Hill. We arrived in town as newlyweds. Three homes, four kids and countless Andy’s Orchard peaches later we continue to feel an immense gratitude for our South County community.
As I’ve reflected on the events of the past 10 years, the things that stand out the most have one major theme: kindness. This kindness can be seen all over South County if we look for it. It’s helping a friend move. It’s filling sandbags during flooding to protect a friend’s home and staying to fill them for strangers. It’s people bringing preemie clothes to the hospital when our oldest was born a month early.
It’s the librarians who lovingly welcome hundreds of loud, energetic children, including my own, into the library. It’s teachers and principals who greet kids with a smile when they arrive in the morning and greet parents with the same smile when they pick their kids up after they’ve been with them all day.
It’s organizing to pick up trash in the community just to do something good. It’s providing housing for families experiencing homelessness.
In his first epistle to the Corinthians, the apostle Paul taught: “Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up…charity never faileth” (1 Corinthians 13:4,8)
Similarly, the prophet Nephi in the Book of Mormon taught: “The Lord God hath given a commandment that all men should have charity, which charity is love. And except they should have charity they were nothing. Wherefore, if they should have charity, they would not suffer the laborer in Zion to perish.” (2 Nephi 26:30). This same prophet also taught “All are alike unto God.” (2 Nephi 26:33).
In the wonderful book, ”Nowhere Boy” by Katherine Marsh, you can find the story of a Syrian refugee, a young boy, who is living as an orphan in Europe. The boy does all he can to live by a phrase his father often told him: “Allah will judge what is fair, it is up to you to judge what is kind.”
I love this sentiment that what we need to concern ourselves with is not what is fair, but rather what is kind. That is love. That is charity.
If I believe that all are alike unto God, then all people who I come into contact with are worthy of love and kindness regardless of their circumstances, choices or background. It is up to me to be kind.
This means kindness to those who feel marginalized, kindness to those who are doing the marginalizing and kindness to ourselves when we fail to live up to our ideals.
There is much that can divide us; politics, faith, or whether we’re Niners faithful or part Raiders nation. What really matters though is what we have in common: A love for community, a love for family, and the fact that God loves all of us. I pray that we can all be a little bit kinder to all those we interact with, including ourselves.
Stephen Bower is the Bishopric Second Counselor of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Morgan Hill Ward. He has lived in Morgan Hill for more than 10 years and appreciates friendships with community members of all faiths.
