I heard a sermon years ago where the priest encouraged us to do one quiet, thankless act a day - one you didn’t tell anyone about, one you didn’t overly celebrate - just an act you performed quietly, humbly.

This isn’t as easy as one would think. Most of us want notice for the ways in which we contribute. We want to pat ourselves on the back for our act. None of this is bad per se, but there is a higher spiritual place one can attain by keeping the act to ourselves and being quiet, even to ourselves, about it.

What kind of acts? It could be something as seemingly small as a smile to someone who needs it, cleaning up a park or beach nearby, petting a lonely dog, playing with a child, calling a loved one you haven’t spoken to in a while. Or perhaps its time to look into some volunteer services in your area. (Many of us want to volunteer but something always gets in the way, doesn’t it?)

Give. Be quiet. Be humble in the face of your own act.