Remembering an Act of Kindness

June 1, 2025

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

~ Ephesians 4:29 NIV ~

I was in my early twenties with a wife, a baby at home, and another on the way. I hadn’t been able to find a good paying job out of college and was struggling just to get by. The only work I could find was busing tables and washing dishes at a local restaurant. I guess it didn’t bring out the best efforts in me because one day the manager spoke to me near the end of my shift, saying they were firing me. I was shocked, upset, angry, and afraid. What was I going to do now? How was I going to support my family?

As I clocked out I told one of the cooks what had happened. “Don’t let it bother you,” he said. “It’s just a job. You will have a lot of them over the years. It isn’t who you are.” Then he shook my hand, patted me on the back, and told me he would miss me. As I walked out to my car the anger and fear were lessening and there was also something else: a sense of Hope and a feeling that everything would be alright in the end. I drove home as the sun started to set and was thankful in my heart for those words from my coworker and friend.

William Wordsworth wrote: “The best portion of a good man’s life, His little, nameless, unremembered acts Of kindness and love.” I don’t know if my friend remembered his kind act that day but I still do. He lifted me up in a moment when I was down. He gave me Hope to face my uncertainty and fear. He reminded me that my job is not who I am. And he showed me that when we give and receive kindness, life is worth living.

Sadly, I never saw my friend again. Maybe he too took another job and moved on. I do think wherever he is now, he is still doing God’s will, helping others, sharing love, and spreading goodness wherever he goes. I just pray that we all do the same. I just pray we all realize that our true job here is living each day with kindness and love.

"Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen." (Ephesians 4:29 NIV)

Joseph J. Mazzella

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