The Sounds of Kindness

In 2002 in Tucson AZ a mother lost her sweet little 2 year old son.  She recognized that the kindness of strangers was helping her family heal.  Out of that Ben's Bells began.  She set up her pottery studio and started creating beads and ornaments to string with a small bell attached at the bottom.  The idea was to leave these bells throughout her community to spread the word of Kindness.

On the first anniversary of Ben's death they placed 400 bells around Tucson and each year the number grows.  After the shooting tragedy in Tucson volunteers created and hung over 1400 bells around the community!

This year on March 29th, the anniversary of Ben's death, the local Phoenix newspaper made a donation  to have 250 bells brought to the Valley.  If you know the Valley you know that it is made up of not only Phoenix, but Scottsdale, Chandler, Tempe, Mesa, Gilbert, Glendale, etc.....quite a bit larger than Tucson.  Given the size of the Valley, 250 bells seems to be a relatively small number.

So you can imagine how honored I was to have found one!  Just hanging on a bench, shining in the sun, no one around.  Attached to the bell was a card which read "You have found a Ben's Bell.  Take it home, hang it in your yard, and remember to spread kindness throughout the world".   To use my niece's quote, "My heart was truly full!"

The article in the newspaper that day said, "You can't buy a Ben's Bell.  Some would say that you can't really find one either, that the bell finds you."   I really feel that this bell found me and I am so honored to have it in my home where I can give it a ring each day as a reminder of the sounds of kindness.

Do something nice for a stranger today.....it will fill your heart.