A Little More Grace, A Little More Kindness

This week, I went to a funeral.

It was one of those days that makes you stop in your tracks and really feel everything.

As I sat there, listening to the stories of a life lived — the good bits, the hard bits, the funny memories and the heartbreaking ones — something hit me hard: We honestly never know what someone else is carrying.

We pass each other in the supermarket aisles, we scroll past online posts, we make quick judgments about strangers we barely know… but behind every face is a story we haven’t read. Behind every smile, there might be pain. Behind every "I'm fine," there could be a silent battle being fought.

And it made me realise: as a society, I think we need to give each other a little more grace. A little more kindness. A little less judgment.

How often do we can be quick to get frustrated — with the slow driver in front of us, the mum struggling to manage her toddler, the friend who cancels or changes plans last minute?

But maybe that driver is driving their baby home for the first time.

Maybe that mum has barey slept this week.

Maybe that friend is carrying an invisible weight we can't see.

We are all living messy, complicated, beautiful, hard lives. And if this week has taught me anything, it’s that a bit of patience, a bit of compassion, and a bit of understanding can make the world a softer place for all of us.

I’m not perfect at it — not even close. But I'm going to try.

To pause before reacting.

To assume the best instead of the worst.

To offer grace even when it’s not easy.

Because honestly? We could all use a little more of it. And maybe, just maybe, it starts with us.