Looking for sea glass, finding kindness

Sometimes a simple gesture of kindness can make a huge difference.

Three weeks after my husband Brian died, I was sitting in my house dealing with a cyclone of emotions. I decided to go down to the beach to look for sea glass, a hobby that I find calming.

I was sitting on the sand in Ocean Park near the lifeguard chair, and two kids came over to me and asked me if I was okay. I’m asked this occasionally when I look for sea glass – people sometimes think I’ve fallen or that I’m looking for something I’ve lost – though I’ve never before been asked by children.

I said I was looking for sea glass and they sat on the sand with me and helped me find some. I told them they were my good luck charm. We chatted a bit and I learned they were brother and sister and from Sharon, Massachusetts. I told them I had visited Sharon because a friend of mine from college lived there. Then we talked about Old Orchard Beach and our mutual love for the beach.

After I decided there was no more glass to be found in that spot, we said our farewells and I continued down the beach. A bit later, I was walking along the shore, and the brother and sister duo ran over to me and gave me some sea glass their father had found. “Because you were nice to us,” they said.

These two young people had no idea of my recent loss or the pain I was going through. Their thoughtful words and small gift brought me some happiness at a time when I needed some joy to cling to.  Those two kids gave me hope. And though I was still in emotional pain, I smiled.

Kindness doesn’t have to be a huge endeavor or a grand gesture. Being nice isn’t hard, but it’s easy to forget how important it is.

Liz Gotthelf is the publisher of Saco Bay News. She is stumbling through life after the recent and unexpected loss of her husband, and will periodically write columns about it as she processes everything. She can be reached at newsdesk@sacobaynews.com.