At the end of August, a man driving a Hummer purposely purposely pulled in front of another car, which was not slowing down as it approached a crosswalk where four children had began to cross the street. His quick-thinking actions likely saved their lives.

Although an extreme example, this man’s actions equaled a random act of kindness. He did not know those children and had nothing to gain for himself by doing what he did – he did it because it was the right thing to do, because he felt compelled to save those kids.

Their gratitude has been expressed in follow up news articles but how this incident will affect them over their lives remains to be seen. How will they “pay it forward” – do acts of kindness just for the sake of doing them, because they themselves were recipients of such kindness?

Many of us have experienced kindness from others, perhaps on a smaller scale. Years ago, I was riding my bicycle in the then-unpaved parking lot of Hawrelak Park and lost control. I fell to the ground and skidded on some gravel, making for some nasty road rash and deep cuts on my right knee, the scars of which I still bear today.

A family I had never met before – in fact, from out of town, had just pulled in. They patched up my bleeding mess of a knee with supplies from their first aid kit and even offered to give me a ride home.

Although I never got their names nor saw them again, I still remember their kindness many years later. Today, I carry a small first aid kit and have given bandages to others at times. It is the least I can do to honour the kindness that was shown to me.