Kindness, the fifth “fruit of the Spirit” (Galatians 5:22), is benignity; the quality of being gentle and gracious towards others. It is like mindfully tending a garden or appreciatively receiving the pureness of a child’s hug.

I regularly watch a PBS show on TV, Central Texas Gardener. It weekly teaches me that there is an art to having a relationship with your flowers in Texas. The climate can vacillate between balmy and wickedly frigid in a matter of hours. Therefore, you have to listen and watch, to be sensitive to the tender needs of your individual flowers in such taciturn conditions.

The art of kindness is like not only knowing how to care for your flowers but also like knowing when and how to pick them to ensure optimum performance in arrangements. Certain ones need to be picked in the early morning, others at sunset, and then some don’t care! Just like people, all need a gentle touch with their idiosyncracies considered and respected.

Today’s blog picture depicting her grandchild’s hug is submitted by Barbara Hamlin. She is a talented photographer and friend who deftly captures the heartstrings of nature in her pictures.

How do you respond in difficult situations? Are you quick to respond with belittling sarcasm, or do you answer with considerate charity, mindful of each person’s uniqueness?