When Kindness Doesn’t Make the Highlight Reel | Woodbury, MN Photographer
Some of the most meaningful things in life do not sparkle. They are not loud, flashy, or camera-ready. They are subtle. Quiet. Often invisible. Not the kind that you put on a highlight reel for social posts.
This kind of generosity rarely gets a spotlight.
Acts of kindness without applause.
Moments of effort without acknowledgment.
Compassion delivered quietly, without a photo, a tag, or even a thank you.
But what if this Thanksgiving, we shifted our gratitude?
A Hug Transforms.
Sometimes, hugs make everything better.
Not just toward what is obvious.
But toward what is overlooked.
It is easy to say thank you when someone gives you something big.
But transformative gratitude lives in the tiny things.
The gratitude you have for that voice that allowed you to smile in the middle of heartbreak.
The Bible verse or sentence in a particular book that found you when you didn’t even know you needed it.
The neighbor who cleared your driveway after the snowstorm.
Two kind strangers changing your flat tire in a neighborhood that felt too unfamiliar.
The time you were part of the pay-it-forward chain in the drive-thru.
These are not flashy moments.
But they are forever moments.
They change the lens through which we see the world.
I think of the people who do their work and stay in the background.
Not for recognition. Not for likes. Not for awards.
But because it is simply the right, human thing to do.
And the impact is priceless, lifechanging, and greater than I can put words to.
There is a vast difference between doing things to be noticed and doing them because they felt right in your heart.
Sometimes it is the childhood neighbor who always said your name wrong, but brought absolute joy every time she said hi to you in her bright voice.
Sometimes it is witnessing an old classmate’s heart as he assists his close friends & family in their times of despair.
Sometimes it is the person who never hired you, but believed deeply in what you do and sent others your way, because they saw your passion.
Sometimes it is hearing someone’s vulnerability on stage that unlocks something in your own life.
Sometimes it’s learning that your favorite elementary principal used to silently buy winter coats for his students.
Or discovering that being sent to your room led you to journaling, and journaling led you to healing.
This holiday season, I want to choose gratitude in a different way.
Not the obvious kind.
“Oh Hi, Miranda!”
I spent a lot of time at my grandparent’s house growing up. And there was a neighbor gal who would walk down the alley with her little poodle “Peanut” to visit my grandma and she always pronounced my name wrong but I didn’t have the heart to tell her. She wore this most vibrant magenta colored lipstick! I was more in awe that she remembered me as a person. Not necessarily as “Monda” - but Miranda was close enough. That tone in her voice, the happy energy, it’s a staple of innocent childhood memories for me. Some flower colors to this day remind me of her. So grateful for your kindness to my family and me, Betty Keiser!
But the quiet kind.
The kind that notices the little things.
The unspoken kindnesses.
The invisible helpers.
The gentle heart work.
And maybe, to offer something even more powerful than a thank you.
To look someone in the eye and really see them.
Because sometimes that glance, that nod, that smile, that moment of being seen can be the only thread of hope someone is holding that day.
I have always believed that people want to know they matter.
Not because they are impressive. But because they are human.
Maybe you had a neighbor across the street who gave you belonging when you were young, and years later, you became that same kind neighbor to someone else.
Maybe it was a pastor who made you understand what it truly meant to come to Jesus as you are.
It could be the seasoned soldier who has become the guide of his fellow vets who are struggling in civilian life.
Maybe it was the school teacher or college professor who saw in you what you could not yet see in yourself.
Maybe it was someone else’s experience that became your a-ha moment of permission, the one that changed everything.
Always in Gratitude For Service
I have two brothers (and a sister-in-law, among other relatives and friends) whom have served in the Army, and I’m always grateful for that sacrifice.
These are the people and moments that shape the way we see ourselves.
They help build a quieter kind of confidence that settles deep in the bones.
So this Thanksgiving, I am not making a list of what I am grateful for.
Instead, I am reflecting on who I am grateful to.
The ones who showed up quietly for everyone else.
Who gave without needing proof that it was worth it.
Who loved, helped, served, guided, comforted, and supported
without needing credit.
They are not invisible.
We just need to look differently.
Maybe the most beautiful moments in life are the ones that never make it to the highlight reel.
This season, may we slow down enough to notice the unseen.
To say thank you where it has never been said.
To pay kindness forward without expecting applause.
And to remember
often, the ones who make the biggest difference
do it quietly.
Be well, friends, and reflect on thanks and kindness. Happy Thanksgiving.
Fondly,
Monda the Photographer
Edited to add…who is this lady?
I took the photo of this cute lady who lives in the new home behind the former dwelling footprint of the home where my mom was born in a small town in Croatia. My mom’s cousin took us to this property-essentially where the existence of “me” started, and the woman told us she remembers my grandma from years ago. It was a sweet moment.
