This year for Christmas I made wine labels.  It has been my dream for some time so this year I did it with a friend. We found some light brown cardboard paper and bought a case of wine.  We cut the paper to the same measurement as the wine labels so that we could cover them. Then I took a fat red sharpe pen and started to write on each of the 12, Kindness Can ..... Change the World in distressed, sort of grafiti like letters.  And in the same unique font, on another piece of cardboard for the back of the bottles,  I wrote, Happiness can too, Ho Ho Ho or a variation of that sentiment.  It was fun.  We laughed and played and drew Christmas trees and holly in green on our wine labels.  We took the plastic seal off the top of each bottle so it no longer said, Concha y Torro (we are in Mexico after all) and we wrapped ribbon around our glued on labels.  Then we took the bottles outside and sprayed a mist of silver spray paint at them to give them a vintage look. They were gorgeous.  Then we figured out who we could give them to and set a time to give them out together.  People loved them.  We loved giving them.

Tonight I brought one to the breast cancer survivor who arrived here at Casa Wish on Christmas day.  We had cooked dinner with the other guests who were here.  Sue, the survivor, looked happier than the day she had arrived.  A little more well rested and she had gotten a little sun.  My other guests were more relaxed too and we had cooked pasta for dinner and the red wine would be perfect.  But I hesitated before I shared it.  It was so cool.   I asked myself, "Would they appreciate it?  Had I covered everyone on my list?  After all, these people were great but they would be gone in a week and I wanted to make sure that I had remembered all my friends here who might remember it for longer.  Then I looked at the table.  My tenants had cooked for me once again.  And the survivor, my most recent guest was just coming down the stairs to join us.  She was happy and the dinner was really for her. If anyone could appreciate how kindness can change a person's world, it was her.

I walked out back to where I had my stash of Kindness Can wine and took the last bottle as well.  After all, there were 5 of us.  I put the two bottles on the table.  "That is cool." my guest Pat said to me.  "Thanks" I said as he read a little closer.  "Nice", he commented and then, "did you make the wine?"  I laughed and told him "no" as his wife brought out the pasta, Pat opened the wine and his daughter poured it for us all saying, "You could make this wine, all you need is grape juice".  I laughed and we toasted to kindness. I looked around the table at my guests who had been reserving space at my Casa Wish for the last 3 years, helping to support my efforts to host survivors.  Then I looked at the survivor who was smiling and seemed carefree despite what she would have to face medically back in the states.  Then I looked down at my two chubby little stray dogs and out into the garden toward the scattered palms and beach lilies that I had rescued off the beach after the last hurricane, and I had to admit that, yes, Kindness Can ..... Change the World.

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