A coat of kindness


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After an exciting and loud youth event, the energy was still buzzing in the building as we gathered to send the kids home. Laughter, chatter, and the remnants of a night full of fun slowly started to fade as the hall emptied out. The excitement had been contagious, but with most of the youth now gone, the atmosphere shifted to a quieter, more reflective space.

It was then that he appeared—a man, weathered by life, his clothes ill-suited for the brutal cold. His face, etched with the kind of stories only time and hardship can write, was pale from the chill of -20°C outside. He knocked on the door, tentative, almost as if unsure if he had the right to ask.

We hadn’t been expecting anyone else. The night had wrapped up, and the building was starting to settle down. But there he was, standing in the doorway, looking for warmth, for something we all crave in the depths of a cold winter’s night: refuge.

“Can I come in?” he asked, his voice shaking slightly from the cold, his eyes searching for kindness, for something human in a world that sometimes feels indifferent.

The leaders and I exchanged glances. We weren’t sure what to expect, but we’d been taught to welcome the stranger, to show kindness where it was needed most. And in that moment, it felt right. With most of the youth already heading out, the building was empty and quiet. It seemed okay to extend a bit of grace, to offer something simple but necessary—warmth, a break from the cold.

We ushered him in, and after a brief conversation, we offered him some hot chocolate, a small gesture, but one that could warm more than just his hands. As he sipped, his shoulders seemed to relax, the tense muscles of the night’s journey easing as he took a moment to just be still.

But as the warmth of the drink spread through him, so too did his resolve to continue on. He stood up, thanking us, ready to brave the elements once more. It was then that one of our leaders, without a second thought, removed their own jacket and placed it gently around the man’s shoulders.

A simple act. A quiet moment. The warmth of a jacket passed from one person to another, an unspoken reminder that even in the harshest of circumstances, compassion is always possible.

As he left, bundled in warmth, the door closing behind him, the night felt a little quieter—yes, but also a little brighter. There is something profoundly simple about kindness, about sharing warmth with someone who has none. And sometimes, that’s enough to remind us what it means to truly be human.