I've been thinking about a random act of kindness that has moved me recently and decided to write about the first came to mind.

I arrived in Calcutta, India after embarking on a very long journey away from my family.  The next day, I met with an old friend of my partner's to discuss a role he was transitioning in our business. He spontaneously invited me to attend an event that evening for the Calcutta International Youth Orchestra. 

On my way there, I was expecting to meet him and his wife for the event but instead met with him and his dear son (whom I had met on 2 other occasions). The boy was 12 years old and reminded me so much of one of my own sons who are of the same age. He had very similar interests and big curious brown eyes that made me feel immediately home sick for my son. I was overcome with longing to hold my boy.  As a mom, travel is often painful when the memories you associate with your children are yanked at your heart, leaving you without any way to sooth it.  Sure, you can call or video chat but even before they were born I longed to hold them; and that intense feeling still overwhelms me at times much to their announce, especially as they are getting older. 

We sat through a delightful concert and had a nice dinner afterward at a vegetarian restaurant his dad choose to accommodate me. Throughout the dinner, we talked quite a bit about Marvel Comics and Batman.  To my delight, he was very interested in sharing his thoughts with me.  When we were saying our good-byes I could not help the pain of longing for my son, which I last saw him running off with his friend for a sleepover and just waved goodbye on his way out the door.  

As this young man smiled and walked away, he suddenly turned around and came back to give me a tight hug. For those few moments, all I could do was to keep myself from crying. That sweet gesture may have meant little to him but it was so well timed that I was so truly grateful for his kindness. It filled that empty hole in my center. I was filled with love and gratitude.

The video below is from the concert. The young man in the lead is from Fukushima, Japan. This music so well speaks to that feeling of longing and joy at the same time.