Little Acts of Kindness

“I’ve come to understand that at Inova your team ‘gets it’ when it comes to understanding that it’s the little acts of kindness that people remember.”

This lovely quote was in a letter Christine Candio and I received from a patient in praise of the care received. We sometimes hear stories of our big acts of kindness – weddings, driving in on a day off, help in times of need, etc. but I also love hearing stories about the little acts. The letter didn’t specify what touched the patient enough to write, but I can guess. I guess it may have been direct eye contact. It may have been taking an extra moment to ask about a photo or to freshen up the flowers. Maybe someone went out of their way to get an answer to a question.

I know of an Inova colleague who received five angel bookmarks as a thank-you for donating to the National Cathedral. On a whim, she decided to randomly hand them out to people she knew on the way to the cafeteria. Unbeknownst to her, one of the recipients was going through a really tough time and just knew that the bookmark with this beautiful angel on the front was a sign that everything would be okay. To the giver, it was just a free piece of stock paper received in the mail. To the recipient, it was a piece of hope to hold on to until things did indeed get better. What angel errand can you run today? What little act of kindness are you grateful for?