In September I went to New Jersey for my niece’s wedding. My three sisters came from Houston and we all stayed at my nephew’s house. I enjoyed spending time with Brandon and his wife Crystal and their talented and engaging son, Chase.

One afternoon Chase wanted to go to the library and so I went with them. I am a sucker for libraries and this one was pretty amazing, especially the kid’s section.

While Chase and his mom were talking to the librarian, I walked around marveling at all the programs and clubs offered. A group of middle school girls walked towards me followed by a man about my age lagging behind.

“I like your earrings,” said one of the girls.

“Thank you,” I replied thinking how awesome it was that someone so young could just walk up to an adult and pay them a compliment.

Without thinking twice I took off my earrings and gave them to her.

“You can’t take those,” said the man. “Give them back.”

Crestfallen, she shrunk into herself and that confidence that I had admired vanished.

“She has to take them because they are a gift from the heart,” I explained. “Please let her have them.”

I could tell he wanted to say no. Maybe it was those pleading eyes or her hunched shoulders, but whatever it was, he relented.

“Thank you so much,” she said with a huge smile.

I wanted to give her a hug, but I’m not sure grandpa would have approved. He shrugged and they walked away. The girl stopped and looked back at me while her companions giggled and talked.

I really liked those earrings. They were gold with a sprinkling of crystals and I wore them often. They were a gift from Diane, my massage therapist and friend who died the week I moved here to Oshkosh from Hawaii. For just a minute I wanted to run to the girl and take back my earrings. But I didn’t because Diane, one of the most generous people I knew, would be happy I had given her gift to someone else.

I don’t wear earrings every day, but when I do I think about that girl and I am glad she has them. Maybe she wore them to her school’s homecoming dance or another special occasion. Who knows all the places she’ll wear them?

I hope whenever she puts on those gold and crystal earrings and looks at herself in the mirror she feels pretty and confident. I hope she tells whoever admires them about our encounter at the library, how a stranger gave them to her despite her grandfather’s objection.

This can be such an unkind world. A compliment or a smile or an unexpected gift can show someone that there are kind people out there.

Here’s the post script to that story. Last week my friend Angie came over wearing a gorgeous black coat.

“I love your coat,” I said as she was putting it on to leave.

“I got it at Nordstrom’s Rack in Milwaukee,” she said.

“Now that I’ve lost so much weight I bet it will fit,” I replied.

My generous friend, the one who used to own this house, who helped me dig out those dreadful ditch lilies, who brings me a bottle of wine every time she comes to visit as penance for leaving the yard in such bad shape when she moved, who has us over for Thanksgiving every year, said exactly what I said to the girl at the library.

“Take it!”

And I did without a moment of hesitation because it was a gift from her heart. I wore that coat on Wednesday and someone admired it and I got to tell the story of two gifts given from the heart. And on that day I felt loved by the kind of friend everyone needs in their life.