KINDNESS NOT LIMITED TO A SINGLE WEEK

Random acts of kindness. What a week it has been.

The kind acts have been as different as the people performing them. From sharing a kind word to Procter and Gamble's amazing donation of 759 cases of diapers for tornado victims. Wow.

There were stories of people changing tires for others, planting flowers, baking treats, buying meals and even groceries for strangers. School children performed kind acts for senior citizens. Senior citizens helped out youngsters. Businesses delivered meals on wheels or donated a portion of their sales to community causes. The list seemed wonderfully endless.

The domino effect of kindness touched thousands of people this week. And it was embodied in a bright, yellow smiley face -- the symbol of this year's celebration.

The Southeast Missourian handed out a record number of free kindness supplies in this fourth year of the observance: more than 42,000 stickers and about 25,000 bookmarks. It was nearly double of last year.

Participants stretched from Ste. Genevieve to the Arkansas line. People in several Illinois towns also signed up to perform kind acts.

Perhaps the most gratifying part about sign-ups this year was the fact so many individuals jumped on the bandwagon -- not waiting for larger organizations or churches to lead the way.

Businesses, too, showed they could be very kind with a number of community-minded fund-raisers and events.

Why was the week so popular this year? Perhaps because there seems so much unkindness in the world right now: Children gunned down at school. Bombs dropping on a faraway land named Kosovo. Accidents that take people's lives, leaving family members asking "Why?"

But what we may overlook is the fact kindness is not limited to a single week in May.

There is a constant supply of kindness and generosity already in our midst. It surrounds us year round through the selfless acts of old and young. They give of themselves to churches, school children, the needy, elderly, the sick. They volunteer not because they have to, but because they want to. And from it, they receive the satisfaction of helping others.

This is a place where people will let in another driver, hold open a door, or pat an individual on the back.

Sometimes it is the smallest acts that can make the biggest difference. Taking the time to provide a positive influence in another person's life is the best gift we can give. It is especially true that moments spent building up young people can make a lasting impression.

What is our legacy? What could be better than to leave behind that kindness and compassion for our fellow man?

When tragedies strike, such as the shootings at Littleton, Colo., communities pull together for strength and comfort. Man is perhaps his best when circumstances are at their worst.

But what if communities and people united in peace and harmony before the going got rough?

William Wordsworth had this to say about kindness: The best portions of a good man's life, his little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and love.

Hopefully, Random Acts of Kindness Week provides a chance for people to focus on the good things we do and look at the ways we could do more.