As long as I live, when my body feels cold in winter, I’m reminded of a particular gentle act of kindness my mother did for me as a child that, without saying a word, conveyed immeasurable depths of love directly to my heart.

Words cannot capture the sense of beauty I feel when I recall this simple act of caring, but I think it’s important to share with you.The house I grew up in had only one bathroom. We shared it between the four of us: my brother, our parents, and me. It contained a bathtub, but no shower, and a built-in wall heater to keep us warm while bathing. I suppose I inherited my cold-nature from Mother because in wintertime, she loved to light that heater, back herself up close to it, and lift her skirt to warm her body - but she went the extra mile for me. When I’d get ready for school, she’d take my clothes and warm them in front of that old wall heater before ever placing them on my body. 

She didn’t realize it at the time, but she was building a deep reservoir of strength within me from which I would draw in future days when I felt alone and not enough. So many times as an adult, my heart returned to that transfer of love between mother & child – her innocent act of kindness – a simple touch of warm fabric to my body that whispered to my soul in her unmistakable voice, “I love YOU dearly. I will always care for YOU and protect you.”     

Many years later, as a mother of two young sons, I shared my gratitude with her. I told her how this gesture demonstrated a depth of love I longed to transfer to our boys. Her eyes grew misty and I observed her quietly tuck this exchange away in her heart, a reservoir for her to draw upon when needed.         

So today I ask you, “What simple gesture can we do for someone we love that will speak to their soul in such a profound way – it will never be forgotten as long as they live?”