The Kindness of Others: Restoring Faith in Humanity

If you struggle at all in the overwhelm of the hate and discontent that this world offers, it may help in restoring your faith in humanity to know that the kindness of others still exists.  In my own life story, we have been on the receiving end of such kindness. Sit back, relax, grab a box of tissues as I share with you an incredible story of the kindness of others. Each step of this story is a great reminder of the love, kindness and compassion of humankind.  It will make you want to step up and reach out to someone that you know, who could use a helping hand.

Back in 2011, I contracted a flesh-eating bacteria called necrotizing fasciitis, which put me in a coma for three weeks, the hospital for three months and resulted in the amputation of both of my hands and both feet.   For all the details, I’ll refer you to my About me page. You may also be interested in my oldest son’s experience in A Son’s Perspective: My Mother’s Amputation Story.  My hospitalization was the impetus that started a kindness-of-others rampage in my life and the lives of not only my family members but each person who participated.

The kindness of others and restoring faith in humanity:  The blessing of prayer

The bottom line was that I wasn’t supposed to live.  Normally, the mortality rate for necrotizing fasciitis is 26%, but as you may know, I’m not normal.  When I asked my sister, Carol what my actual odds of survival were, her exact words were, “Don’t be optimistic, like zero!”

But God!  Yes, we wholeheartedly believe in the power of prayer.  My husband had that faith that will move mountains and he knew without a shadow of a doubt that I wasn’t going anywhere.  He prayed, with faith that did not waiver. Our church came together and prayed. Our sister churches prayed.

Word got out about my illness.  I was in a network marketing business and had made friends all across the country.  They all prayed. At the time, I was part of the local Altrusa community service club and they prayed.  Our community prayed. But God! Yes, our great and wonderful Lord answered those prayers. My 0% chance became 100% chance of survival.  Thank God for the kindness of others and their prayers!

The kindness of others and restoring faith in humanity:  Maintaining our household

My family pulled together. Mike never left my side.  His work granted him leave under the Family Leave Act.  My children, who were 18, 15 and 13 at the time still needed help at home.  The school granted them leeway so they could be there for Mom and Dad and not deal with the pitiful eyes of watchful teachers.  My family came in from out of town and stayed nearby the hospital. Mike’s sisters and Mom took care of our home and our children were cared for, household  ran and our bills were paid. Other family members helped financially.

That incredible network company I was working with, got the news of my situation.  They provided a hotel suite for my family for the first month that I was in the hospital, until I was “out of the woods”.  All of my friends took up a love offering and sent it our way. There were a couple of friends who manned the notifications so everybody knew what was going on.  When I think about everything that took place, I would have liked to be awake so that I could have seen the extent of the network with the wheels in motion. Because I had a substantial business with that company, my residual income never ceased, which provided more than enough income to cover our household expenses.

The kindness of others and restoring faith in humanity:  Our community pulled together

Things started to happen back at home once I was awake and healing and we knew I would be okay.  A ramp was put on in front of our house because I was going to be in a wheelchair. The materials and labor were donated.  To simplify my everyday living a bidet was donated for our bathroom.  A local paving company paved the top half of our driveway so that I could maneuver my wheelchair easily while I was outside.  Thankfully, we had our home built just five years before and the doorways and rooms were all big enough to accommodate my wheelchair.

The amazing Altrusa ladies all chipped in and created a schedule whereby they brought food for my family every single day.  I believe they started in May and didn’t stop until Thanksgiving that year. People I never even met were making blankets for me and sending gifts.   The bank set up a fund whereby anyone could contribute simply by giving my name.

I went into the hospital on April 3rd.  Including the month I spent at a rehab hospital, the day I came home for good was June 17th.  That was one day after Mike and I celebrated our 21st wedding anniversary. I cried so hard when I  rolled that wheelchair up that ramp and through our front door. I missed my family and our home so very much.

The kindness of others and restoring faith in humanity:  The Wendypaloozathon

Several weeks after I came home, a local gal, who I barely knew at the time, facilitated what we so fondly dubbed the Wendypaloozathon.  She became a good friend since then. This was a fundraiser walk where people came from the community to walk and donate funds for my family.  Over 100 people came out and supported us that day. It seemed like the blessings would never end, and they really haven’t.

You may be thinking, “Holy smokes, girl!  You must be loaded with debt!  Mike was out of work for four months and you were on life support, had kidney failure, a tracheotomy,  multiple surgeries, including amputations, and hospitalized for three months.”  Guess what friends! The answer to that is Nuh Uh! Insurance covered all my medical expenses, including a big ole electric wheelchair and eventually prosthetics.  Family, friends and people we didn’t even know donated to our cause.  We walked away with absolutely no debt at all, when all was said and done! If that isn’t restoring your faith in humanity, answered prayers and the blessings of God, I don’t know what is.

The kindness of others and restoring faith in humanity:  Accepting all of that kindness

I’ve always been one to reach out and lend a hand when I’ve seen a need.  It’s such a blessing to be able to cook a meal for someone, run a friend to an appointment or donate to fundraisers and various causes.  But to be on the receiving end of all of that kindness is a whole different story. It’s definitely a humbling experience.

We learned to be gracious about receiving back in my cancer days.  I’ve always looked at it with a grateful heart. But we struggled with all of that generosity.  We felt that by accepting a meal or money, that my husband, Mike wasn’t able to provide for his family, which was completely not true.  All it took was a simple comment from a friend.  They reminded us that we were robbing folks of their blessings by not being gracious receivers.  When you look at things in that way it puts a whole different spin on things.Denying the gracious gifts of others, robs them of their blessings. Don't be selfish. Be a gracious receiver. Share on X

We recognized our outlook as a pride issue and repented of it. We never wanted to take those blessings away from the kindness of others, so we learned to graciously accept their gifts as they came. For another really great story about being on the receiving end of charity, I highly recommend this super heartwarming post written by my friend, Erin from Lullaby Lark.  It’s called A New Perspective on the Virtue of Charity. You will love it!

Ideas to continue restoring your faith in humanity

Obviously, my story has given you a really great reminder of the kindness of others.  I believe that people genuinely want to reach out and help others.  It’s easy to get discouraged when you look at all that’s happening in this world.  We have hate, poverty, violence, theft and so many other things going on that if I listed them all this story would take a different spin. So, we need to take our eyes off of the negativity and focus on the positive.

What types of things can you do to restore your own faith in humanity? Here is a list of some great ideas to help you.

1. 1. Focus on the Lord and His love.  Put Him first in your life. Matthew 6:33 KJV tells us to “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”

   2. Start by watching less news, talk shows, etc because they only focus on highlighting the negative.  Why do they feel the need to spread that negativity, I have no idea.I believe that people genuinely want to reach out and help others. It's easy to get discouraged when you look at all that's happening in this world. So, we need to take our eyes off of the negativity and focus on the positive. Share on X

   3. Focus on positive programs and stories. Read blogs like this one. I also recommend The Positivity Blog for practical happiness advice that works, Pray With Confidence for overcoming prayer obstacles for busy women, Choosing Wisdom to learn how choices can empower greater joy and purpose, and Coffee with Starla where you can find encouragement on all sorts of things.

   4. Spend some time with your kids.  They look for joy in all they do.  Play, laugh, run, jump and skip. Get away from your cell phone and enjoy their youth.  It goes by so quickly.

   5. Get involved in volunteer organizations.  Spend time helping people less fortunate than you are.

   6. If you don’t have one already, start a gratitude journal.  Write down 5 or 10 things every day that you’re thankful for.  Count your blessings every single day. We all have so much to be thankful for.

   7. Start something positive yourself.  For instance, several years ago, I invited the ladies at church over to the house and we started a weekly lunch and Bible study.  We had a wonderful fellowship and learned some great Bible messages.

   8. Practice random acts of kindness.  For a great post of ideas to get you started, read my 105 of the Best Random Acts of Kindness.

   9. Inspire others by overcoming your own obstacles.  You really don’t realize how impactful you can be by simply sharing your very own story.  One Exceptional Life came into existence because others wanted to know where my hope came from.  1 Peter 3:15 KJV says “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.”  One Exceptional Life is my greatest witness for the Lord.

   10. Make a list of inspirational quotes that you can read when you’re feeling discouraged. My 45+ Impressive Inspirational Quotes for Overcoming Obstacles is a great starting point.   It even has a printable with the Top 5 Inspirational Quotes for when you Wake up, in that post. Make sure you grab it!

So, what are the results of our blessings of that sad and emotional time in our lives?  We try to give back whenever possible. It hurts my heart that I cannot do things for others like I used to, like cooking meals, driving to appointments or helping out, in any of the physical ways that I would like.  In fact, now that the kids have moved out and we’re empty nesters, we’re still occasionally on the receiving end of a meal, house cleaning or help with my own appointments.

But we can contribute in other ways.  We can help financially on occasion. We are by no means overly wealthy, but we will always share when we can.  Additionally, Mike is always willing to share his skills when it comes to physical labor or mechanical needs. And of course, we will always pray for those in need.  There’s so much more that I wish we could do. But God knows our hearts. He allows us to help where we can. Being on the receiving end of the kindness of others really does help in restoring faith in humanity.  But being on the giving end contributes even more!

I would love to hear about your stories of the kindness of others.  Please continue the conversation by leaving your stories in the comments below.