Dear readers: This guest post was written by Kay and Leslie of GrandparentsLink, my fellow members in the GRANDparent Network. Considering the lack of kindness and compassion across our country the last far too many months thanks to the hostile political climate and anxiety following the election, the wisdom Kay and Leslie offer here is particularly worthy of reading, sharing, putting into practice.

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Creating kindness in your life

As grandparents, we want to inspire our grandchildren, and one of the best ways to do this is by "doing" simple acts of kindness. The old adage about "setting an example" certainly applies here. Remember, an act of kindness can be big or small — it does not matter. What counts is that our grandchildren learn to be grateful and understand how to be kind. Kindness is a lesson of achievement with a wonderful end result.

Here are a few ideas to put into practice:

1. Open a door for someone.

2. Send a card to a serviceman overseas.

3. Take cookies to the local fire station.

4. Pick up litter.

5. Compliment someone who has been helpful to you.

6. Donate toys to a local charity.

7. Set the table.

8. Share a special toy with a friend.

9. Smile and say "thank you" to someone who has helped you.

10. Sell lemonade and donate the profits.

11. Help cook breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

12. Bake muffins for a friendly neighbor.

13. Give away used clothing.

14. Watch how much water you are using.

15. Call or email a friend who is not feeling well.

16. Plant flowers for a friend or family member.

17. Clean up your room without being asked.

18. Teach your grandparent a new song or a new joke.

19. Bring flowers to the teacher, or the doctor, or the favorite school custodian.

20. Help a sibling with homework or an at-home task.

21. Put a happy note in someone’s lunch or cubby at school, or on mom or dad’s desk.

22. Facetime/Skype with a friend or relative who lives out of town — or in town.

23. See what kind of community service you can do with the help of a family member.

24. Draw a picture or make a card for someone who you love — or like.

25. Send a "Happy Birthday" or "Thank You" video.

26. Give someone a special hug!

We would love for you to comment and add your kindness acts to our list.