Sophie had always wondered about the woman next door. She knew she was there, even though she hadn't ever seen her come out of her house. She would sit on the tire swing that was tied to the old tree in her front yard and just watch the woman's front door. Nothing. 

She asked her mom about the neighbor and learned that she was a widow named Mrs. Jenkins. Her mom had never seen her either, but knew that her husband had died a few years before. Sophie didn't get much more information than that. 

Days went by like this, with Sophie watching the door and the front curtains for any movement. Still, none came. In her mind, Sophie began to construct stories about the woman. Maybe she was sad, or maybe she was a scary witch. There was no way to know what she looked like or if she was even really in there. No one came to check on the woman, and there was never anything on her doorstep. It was like she was invisible to the world. 

But not to Sophie. 

It began as one flower, a little daisy left on the porch for Mrs. Jenkins. Soon, Sophie was leaving flowers almost every day that she had picked from the fields near their neighborhood. Sometimes one, sometimes more. A few times, the flowers blew away, but other times, they would sit on the porch until the petals turned brown. Still no sign of Mrs. Jenkins. Still no door cracking open or curtains moved. Sophie began to think her efforts were in vain. But she persisted, leaving flowers almost daily on the porch stoop, clearing away the old ones as needed. 

She started to bring a little broom and dustpan with her to sweep and tidy the porch area, straightening it up and making sure it was clear of spider webs or anything else that might have gathered in the corners. She left little handwritten notes, scrawled in her careful fifth grade cursive. "You are loved," some of the notes said. 

Sophie continued to watch for any movement or sign that Mrs. Jenkins was there, but still saw nothing. No change in the curtains or crack of the door. Her messages and gifts went untouched. She began to think that maybe Mrs. Jenkins wasn't even there. 

In the summer, Sophie's family went on a short vacation to the lake for a couple of days. All Sophie could think about was how Mrs. Jenkins porch would be bare. She couldn't help but wonder if Mrs. Jenkins missed her, or maybe she didn't even know that Sophie existed. She felt disheartened that the porch would gather dirt and cobwebs while she was gone. 

When her family returned from the trip, Sophie gathered up as many flowers as she could into a little bouquet for Mrs. Jenkins. She found an old red sating ribbon left over from Christmas and carefully tied a bow around the flowers. An old piece of craft paper served as a makeshift card that Sophie wrote on, "I'm sorry I was gone, but I'm back now. I hope you like the flowers. They were the prettiest ones I could find. You are loved." 

She placed the bouquet and the card on the porch after doing her routine sweeping and tidying of the porch area. As she turned to leave, she gave the door a soft little knock. Still nothing. Sophie went to her tire swing and sat but never saw Mrs. Jenkins. She felt like giving up. 

The next morning, Sophie got up and dressed herself for the first day of school. She had a beautiful dress on with matching pink shoes. As she left her house, she waved to Mrs. Jenkin's house, something she'd grown accustomed to whenever she left hers. As she was getting ready to pass, she noticed something. The small bouquet of flowers with the beautiful red ribbon were missing. She scanned the porch, but saw nothing. Her eyes rose to the window, where she saw the bouquet in a little vase in the center pane. Next to it was a little note facing outward to the window in barely legible block letters, "Thank you for loving me." 

In life, we might think that the small acts of kindness we do don't matter. We might grow bitter and ask ourselves why we even bother in a world that seems so dark and unkind. We might even feel like giving up and only caring about ourselves. But sometimes all it takes are those small acts of kindness to let someone know that they matter. 

Everyone matters and is worthy of being seen and loved and you might be the only bright spot in someone else's life. Always find ways to be the light.