Dear Universe,

I got an email the other day with the link to this article.

In case you don’t feel like reading the whole thing, I’ll summarize.  A young woman posted a photo of a bathroom stall at her university.  In the stall, women had previously left heartbreaking messages of tragedies in their lives.  One had written about being raped, another revealed her battle with an eating disorder, another about an alcoholic father, another whose father had died…

But it was the anonymous letter taped in the stall, written to all these women, which garnered the attention of the photographer.

The anonymous responder wrote to all the women individually and praised them for their courage.  (I get goose bumps every time I read it).  She offered encouragement and ended the letter with these words:

“To all of you (including those I did not mention, and those who have not yet written)

-You are worthy.

-You are strong.

-You are brave.

-You are loved.

-Somebody cares.”

Underneath that, someone wrote, “To the person who wrote this, thank you.”

I love this story.

It’s inspiring to me and here’s why.

Countless others must have seen those same messages, those same tragic confessions.  And most likely, all those people felt bad, but also felt there was nothing they could possibly do to help.

This anonymous letter reminds me that there is always a way to help.  It can be something as simple as giving a hug, holding a hand, writing a note, making a phone call, offering a smile or taping an anonymous note of light in a darkened bathroom stall.

Think of a time when someone’s tiny act of kindness lifted your heart higher, made you feel hopeful and restored.  Think of what a difference that little action made in your day or your life.  The person might not even know it affected you that deeply.

The simplest or smallest act can often leave the biggest impact.

We often forget that.  It was nice to be reminded.

 With Gratitude,

A