Imagine a world where children never know what it’s like to be called names on the playground. Imagine a world where everyone had a hand to hold or a shoulder to lean on. Imagine a world where kindness ruled and small things mattered. That’s what I did when I dreamed up this book. I imagined a brighter world—a world that’s within our reach and all it takes is one tiny act at a time.

I wrote Tiny Acts of Kindness about a year ago but the seeds of inspiration for it goes back as far as when my daughter was born. As a first time mom, I felt a love for her that just burst my heart wide open. As I watched her grow, my world seemed to come alive and my love for her deepened year after year. And just when I thought I couldn’t feel more love than that, I had a son and he proved me wrong.

Watching my small children as they grow brings me back to my own childhood. It makes me remember the good times, but also, the not so good times. When I dropped off my daughter on her first day of kindergarten, I flashed back to the first time I left the safety of my home and walked on to that yellow bus, holding back tears. My 6-year-old self sat by the window and as the bus drove away, tears streamed down my face. I sadly waved bye to my mom who was becoming smaller and smaller through the bus window.

In grade school, I remember how I awkwardly tried to navigate this big new world away from my family. And I vividly remembered the first time I was made fun of. I had worn a new dress to school that day—a beautiful black dress with white polka dots on a pink shawl collar—and I was so proud of it. But then a kid walked by and asked if I was going to a funeral as he laughed and walked away. That was all it took. I felt so alone and so deeply ashamed that I went home that day, tucked that dress away in a closet far from my room and never wanted to see it again.

When I think about my children and what they might experience during their school years, I become terrified.

So I just thought, what if? What if things don’t have to be this way? What if being called names or being bullied isn’t just a part of growing up? What if there’s a brighter future we could build together? It was then that I had the idea to write this book.

Tiny Acts of Kindness was written in hopes of moving us, tiny act by tiny act toward a better world.

It begins with kindness and children.

I just know in my heart that it all begins with kindness. Kindness, to me, is not something that’s just nice to have. It’s not just warm and fuzzy and it’s not just about being polite. Kindness is at the very core of who we are and when we remember and align with that core, the love and joy that comes out of it has the power to transform the world.

It begins with the children. In these formative years, they’re exploring ways of relating to one another, what’s acceptable, what’s not, what makes them feel good and what makes them feel bad. My kids are definitely doing this at home. One minute, they’re getting along and laughing and playing. Other times, they’re screaming and fighting and driving me crazy! But they’re learning and it’s the perfect time to introduce the concept of kindness to them. I want them to know that when we are kind to others, it doesn’t only help the other person. We will feel it too. And the kindness we put out in the world continues on and goes father than we can imagine. I want them to know that they can make a difference even with the smallest things that they do.

By now, my kids know that kindness is a value we uphold in our family. And I can see the effect that this has on them. If I tell my daughter to do something for her little brother, that’s one thing. But sometimes, without being asked, she would clean up his toys or get him some food. And I notice how happy it makes her. I see her just beaming with joy afterwards. I know that through these small acts, they’re building an unbreakable bond between them.

In the book, I also mentioned kindness to self as a way to fill your own cup before it can flow to others. I want to convey this important message because I learned that it is only when we value and care for ourselves that kindness just becomes second nature. So my book encourages children to “go on adventures” and “belly-laugh with a friend” as ways of filling themselves up. Then, it becomes so much easier to show kindness to others.

My dream is that the children of our future will grow up with kindness interwoven into the very fibers of their being so that everything they do has an undercurrent of kindness beneath it. I believe that children, who are rooted in kindness as they grow and expand, will be able to reach for the highest heights and become the best versions of themselves.

So this book, this tiny book in a sea of so many wonderful books is my way of helping to create a kinder world. If it touches one heart, if it sparks one act of kindness, then it would be a dream come true for me.