The world can be a better place because of one, small act of kindness. In the same way a pebble creates waves when dropped in a pond, an act of kindness ripples outwards, touching other lives, inspiring even more acts of kindness. As someone once said, every act of kindness creates a ripple with no end.
Many years ago I worked for the Rev. Vahac Mardirosian, a Baptist minister and educational reformer in California who was driven to help others through his kind and caring acts. He didn’t talk much about his past, but slowly I learned about his family history and how the kindness of others had shaped him.
Born in Syria, Vahac and his family escaped the atrocities of the Turkish genocide of the Armenian people by moving to Mexico in 1927. Their hope was to eventually move to California to be with extended family, but tragedy struck when Vahac’s mother died in Mexico. Vahac was seven and his little sister, Graciela, was four. Vahac stepped in to care for and protect his sister who, sadly, became very ill when she was 12.
It was during this painful time that Vahac’s pastor, Leonardo, attended to the family, visiting and praying for Graciela. When she died, Vahac’s heart was once again broken by loss. Pastor Leonardo did everything he could to comfort Vahac and his father. The pastor’s small acts of kindness made a significant impact on young Vahac who eventually went to seminary in Los Angeles and became a pastor himself.
As a pastor and community leader, Vahac helped hurting and struggling families. After retiring from the ministry, he started an educational non-profit to empower parents to help their children succeed in school.
Although Vahac is no longer with us, the organization continues his mission today. His acts of kindness continue to inspire others in the same way Pastor Leonardo did for him. What small act of kindness can you do for someone today? Imagine how it might spread to help even more people.
