Kindness

When scrolling through Netflix recently we came across a movie titled ‘The Kindness of Strangers’. 

The premise of the movie is that a mother and her sons find love, comfort and kindness with a group of strangers who are each struggling to survive in wintry New York City.

Perhaps a long bow to draw, nonetheless we couldn’t help but recall the All Stitched Up! family in a similar light. Whilst we’re not suggesting we’ve saved anyone who was struggling to survive a cold New York winter, we did start to replay the countless acts of kindness that have played out through the very newsletter you’re now reading!

It’s clear that many of our readers share the thoughts of the 14th Dalai Lama.

Sometimes the acts of kindness we recalled were as simple as taking the time to answer the questions posed in ‘Have Your Say’, at other times they stretched far further.

We were reminded of the generosity of one reader who offered to help settle a fellow ‘All Stitched Upper’ as she moved across the globe to Canada. What started as a simple query to be pointed in the direction of all things needle and thread, became an in-person relationship as someone took the time to welcome a stranger. 

We remembered the meeting of two stitchers, one who had followed someone’s journey in All Stitched Up! only to realise she would be travelling through the same region of Italy they called home. They too met face to face over their shared passion for all things needle and thread.

Most recently, from All Stitched Up! issue #318, there were offers of Australian Smocking & Embroidery magazines for Lynda who was searching for issue numbers 1 to 25 to complete her collection. Even as we type this, there’s an email enquiring as to whether we’re still collecting bread tags – our answer is a resolute yes!

Through the generosity of those who took the time to collect bread tags when we first announced we were collecting them, we were able to donate 900g (2lb) of bread tags at the end of last year, only to find there were almost as many awaiting collection at our Post Office Box but a day later. Collecting the humble bread tag is an incredibly simple act, but it’s the ripple of kindness that extends from this that allows Aussie Bread Tags for Wheelchairs to use the proceeds from recycling them to purchase much needed wheelchairs for the disadvantaged in South Africa.

Given the news headlines of not only the last few years, but those that continue to unfold before us, acts of kindness, no matter how small they may seem at the time, can never be underestimated. Their ripple might extend far further than we ever thought possible and may just inspire another act of kindness, of which there can’t be too many.