"God Bless You."

The life expectancy of an act of kindness is forever.

I recall what happened in the parking lot as I was getting ready to drive home after my first visit to a monastery — I was putting my camera and hat into the back of the car, a man in his 30s spoke to me as he unlocked his car which was next to mine. He said, "I have been on a retreat here. These monks pray five times a day. When people hear that a group prays five times a day, it is typically not a Christian group that first comes to mind, but it should be because this Benedictine tradition goes back 1,500 years, it is very old. Is this your first time here?" Yes, I said, and he replied, "God bless you."

This blessing from a stranger is one of the treasures I received from the monastery.