What I Respect Most in Others

In her book, Writing to Change the World, Mary Pipher asks writers to consider various questions to help us understand ourselves better. One of her questions is this:

What do you most respect in others? 

Immediately, I knew.

It's kindness. 

In other words, benevolence. In other words, the willingness to want, with every interaction, to help others and to love them. I find kindness irresistible. I'd rather have kind children than smart, talented, or beautiful ones. I'd rather be known as kind than clever. 

It's kindness. I pray for this character trait to grow in me and my family more and more.