Random Act of Kindness Day

As the saying goes, “one kind word can change someone’s entire day” and this is something our Salvation Army Chaplains know to be true. Indeed, with ‘Random Act of Kindness Day’ on 17 February, Chaplains from across our Residential Aged Care Centres recount how they seek to enact kindness everyday through their work.  

Natarsha Laundon, the Chaplain at Pacific Lodge Aged Care Centre (“Pacific Lodge”) notes, “My role is to be the emotional and spiritual support for residents, staff and families.” ‘Random Act of Kindness Day’ for Natarsha therefore is, as she notes, “just being there to help out in any way I can. We’re not just here for the residents. We’re here for families and for the staff.” She also notes how her faith informs her everyday actions, “Jesus told us that the two greatest commandments were to love God and to love others and to be a Chaplain is to show Jesus’ love to everybody.”  

For Barrington Lodge Aged Care Centre (“Barrington”) Chaplain Jackie Williams, she loves that her role allows her to ‘get alongside’ her residents and “be that presence, an unhurried presence, where you can just stop and listen and have conversations.” She recently showed kindness through just being there, for a resident with dementia. “Just being in that moment and telling her what she needed to hear. I made a nice, warm cup of tea, stayed with her for a while.” As a Chaplain, Jackie notes that her faith informs her actions. “I think the reality of knowing that each and every one of us is made in the image of God means we all have an intrinsic value. So, for me that is important; showing God’s love and that each person needs to be treated with care, respect and love and it makes a huge difference.”  

Likewise, The Cairns Aged Care Centre (“Cairns”) Chaplain, Terri Goodwin, affirms that ‘Random Acts of Kindness Day’ means accepting people in a non-judgemental way. “I think it’s being able to be yourself; non-judgmental. And really dig deep into what makes people tick. I think that the most important thing is being real and encouraging staff to be real and raw with people.” For Terri, the significance of the ‘Random Act of Kindness Day’ extends beyond 17 February, “It’s random acts of kindness, I believe, every day, every moment, every second of the day. It’s something you’re intentional about doing.” 

For Chaplain Sue McGuigan at Bethany Aged Care, ‘Random Act of Kindness Day’ means, “reminding our staff that what we do is beyond just doing care, it’s beyond just a role.” In her own life, her faith informs her call to serve others faithfully and with kindness. “To me, Jesus clearly said, and the Bible clearly says, that we need to put love into action. Even with Jesus dying on the cross, it was love in action. God sent Jesus and Jesus died on the cross for us. Jesus showed us love in action. So, for me, the daily opportunities to do random acts of kindness is actually showing people Jesus’ love in action.”