Attribute #6 - Kindness

One of my favorite memories of this year (and there are actually too many to count!) is reading the blog post where Brad mentioned their brief visit to my parents this summer. He said that Robyn and her great-grandmother were inseparable. In my mind, my mother has always exemplified kindness, and it's gratifying to know that her great-grandchildren are following in her footsteps.

Kindness: benevolence, consideration, thoughtful regard or sympathetic respect

Love: a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person.

1 Corinthians 13:4
Charity suffereth long, and is kind.

As you can see kindness is the epitome of charity and love, and since all of our children and grandchildren have this trait, I figured I'd just add it here, since the scriptures and President Monson (see below) combine them as well.

“Kindness is the essence of a celestial life. Kindness is how a Christlike person treats others. Kindness should permeate all of our words and actions at work, at school, at church, and especially in our homes." (Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin)

Earlier this year, President Monson shared the above quote, a couple of scriptures (Moroni 7:44-47 and D&C 121:41-42), and this thought: "Let us examine our lives and determine to follow the Savior’s example by being kind, loving, and charitable." He didn't have a lot of energy for a long discourse; I find it quite profound that he chose the subject of love and kindness. That in itself is a great message.

If I started listing all the examples of the Savior being kind, there wouldn't be enough room on the world wide web, so I'll let you think of your own. I'm just grateful he teaches us to be kind and loving by example.

Finally, one of the things I struggled with as I pondered this little activity was whether the list of attributes should be adjectives or nouns. I've seen both, some even in the same document, but mixing the grammar just didn't seem right. Because "attribute" is a noun, I decided to go that route. However, some qualities don't fit easily. For example, prayer is a noun, but it's not necessarily an attribute. Prayerful could be an attribute, but it's an adjective. "One who prays" isn't a single word, so I thought of "pray-er" but that's too confusing. See my dilemma? Anyway, Jesus Christ is definitely "one who prays" and that's something at which I want to improve. It's also something at which Robyn is a good example, so I'm adding that quality here as well. I'm sure that as my prayers become more sincere and meaningful, I will become more kind and loving myself.