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LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
WHO’S READY FOR SPRING?
This annual issue is always one of my favorites
because of the excitement that’s palpable in the
air. Derby, warm weather and the beckoning of
new beginnings always seems to bring out the
best in all of us.
I am also excited about this edition because of
the numerous Southern Indiana cities and towns
represented in these pages.
As always, thank you for taking the time to
pick up Extol.
KINDNESS MATTERS
For more than two years, I’ve repeated these
same words to my now-3-year-old daughter every
morning on the way to preschool:
“Olive: You are smart. You are kind. You are
important. You are beautiful inside and out.
Everyone matters. Treat people with kindness.”
It’s my adaptation of a scene in the novel-turned-
movie, “The Help,” but it’s also a more poignant
version of what I’ve told myself for decades. And
depending upon where I’m at in life, some phrases
resonate more than others.
Lately, this one means the most:
“Everyone matters. Treat people with kindness.”
Despite the constant barrage of social media
and news outlets asserting the contrary, I believe
most of us care about our neighbors and complete
strangers and are willing to make people feel like
they matter by inserting small acts of kindness
into our everyday lives – holding a door, letting
someone slide in ahead of us in traffic, simply
saying, “Thank you” or “I’m sorry,” or offering
a helping hand. These minor moments matter.
And, sometimes they can affect others far more
than we ever imagined.
Olive, my daughter, is old enough that she now
speaks our daily affirmation without prompting.
She recently said it in the grocery store and brought
a fellow shopper nearly to tears. As rewarding as
it was to see the fruits of my labor, my heart hurt:
Shouldn’t kindness and the acknowledgment
of its power be the exception and not the rule?
Listening to a toddler as she looks at a complete
stranger and says with complete confidence,
“You are kind, you are smart, you are beautiful,”
should evoke a smile, not tears, at least not tears
of despair. But, the woman at Kroger explained
her reaction: “You just don’t see this anymore.”
Maybe she doesn’t – and I pray she sees more
– but I do, and I know many of you do, too.
So, here’s my challenge: Send me your accounts
of acts of kindness – yours or others. Big and small.
They matter. Email me at angie@extolmag.com or
find me by searching @angiefenton2 on Facebook.
Let’s keep the kindness going, and I’ll work to let
others know and spread the good – kind – news.
Truly,
Angie Fenton
Editor in Chief
angie@extolmag.com
EXTOL : APRIL/MAY 2019
11