ACTS OF KINDNESS CAN GO A LONG WAY

I was born and raised in the charming, picturesque town of Grenoble, France, in the French Alps. Grenoble became the Official Olympic City in 1968, where Peggy Fleming from the USA, won the Olympic Games. Life was hard, very hard, yet it had its rewards of simple living and appreciation of good values in society.

In my time, strong discipline, compassion, courtesy, kindness, respect, honesty, sincerity, caring for others, and deep faith in God, were some of the values that many parents tried to instill in their children. In my experiences school children, due to strong discipline taught at home, would get up as a sign of respect, when their teacher entered the classroom, and would wait until they would be ordered to sit down.

They would do so, respectfully and quietly. They would raise their hand, if they needed to make a comment to their teacher, and waited patiently until it was their turn to speak. I have seldom seen, any kind of misbehavior, and if occasionally, this situation would happen, the misbehaving child would be put in a corner, for an extended period of time, or put out of the classroom, as part of the discipline system, at that time.

This approach seemed to work very well. The teacher then, at the end of the class, would talk kindly, but firmly to the child and the parents, if necessary, trying to find out what could be the underlying reason for misbehaving. Could the parents be getting a divorce or were they sickness or death in the family, was the child properly taken care of at home? Did the child receive the attention and affection that he or she needed?

And many times, the misbehaving child would open up to the teacher, burst in tears, and talk about problems underlying this misbehavior. The teacher, then, with a heart full of compassion, would kindly wipe the tears, and hug the child.

There was overall not much emphasis on materialistic life. For many it meant, just having the basic necessities of life, which were hard to meet. Snow was abundant in Grenoble, sometimes up to the knees. Winters were harsh, with countless times 15 degrees centigrade below zero.

At night, for many people it was hard to keep warm where they lived.

Listening to the radio, was one of the joys of many French families, gathering at supper time, while eating savorily, homemade soup, prepared with love, many times, by GrandMa , beefsteak, pommes de terre frites, (french fries), fromage, (cheese), french bread, patisserie, mineral water, and a little bit of vin rouge (French wine).

Family togetherness was the focus of society. The French, were very open, talked a lot, and with great enthusiasm.

In my family, as with many other French families, the weekends were spent together, narrating the events of the week. On Sunday, we would go to Church, occasionally go to see a movie in the center of the town, or go to a picnic in the mountains, admiring with great emotion, the wonder of eternal snow on mountain picks, surrounding Grenoble.

The beauty of sunsets on snow mountains was breathtaking! One could almost feel the touch of God´s creation.

We marveled at the beauty of spring flowers, and many times my dear parents and I would go to the mountains, to gather wild flowers, such as gentianes, edelweiss, jonquilles. The joy we experienced was pure, coming straight from the heart. It was a feeling so marvellous, that it simply cannot be described!

If someone was ill in the family, other members would take great care of the sick person and Doctors would make house calls, at any time of the day or night. Most Doctors, in Grenoble, were extremely caring, genuinely concerned, and showed great amount of human warmth, toward patients in general, which in itsef was a healing force for many.

Caring neighbors would bring flowers, such as carnations, or roses, and a little gift, to the sick person, with words of encouragement, and that simple gesture of kindness, made such a difference in that person´s life.

Life overall, was hard in terms of living conditions, and yet so rich, in terms of human values.

Out of the teachings of my dear father, who was very kind, yet rather strict with me, and my religious mother, who has a heart of gold, full of love and compassion, I came up with the following principles, which I have tried to follow all my life.

1- Try to always tell the truth

2- Be kind and considerate of others.

3- Have compassion, and genuinely care for others.

4- Give to the poor.

5- Help others, in words, and actions whenever possible.

6- Never give up, no matter how hard the circumstances of life may be.

7- Have total faith in God.

8- Strive to make the best of your abilities.

9- Be thankful for what you have.

10- Always try to keep your word.

11- Follow the etiquette of basic courtesy.

12- Try to forgive those who have hurt you.

13. Try to Pray God daily for guidance.

14- Do not fall into the trap of a mostly materialistic life.

15- Appreciate the simplest joys in life.

16- Try to pay undivided attention, when someone dear to you is trying to communicate with you.

17-Learn to truly listen, without interrupting, and do not draw hasty conclusions.

18- Make your views known, kindly and respectfully.

19- Always try to be fair.

20- Express your feelings and try to do as much good as you possibly can on this earth.

It is my opinion, that acts of kindness are the stepping stones that can shape our society for a much better world.

© 2007 Christiane Tourtet, all rights reserved.