Never underestimate the power of a kind word. You never know what kind of lasting impression words have on people, the good and the bad. Wouldn't you feel good if someone told you years later that the kind things you said to them stuck with them? I know I would.
When I was in 7th grade, a boy in my class told me I had the prettiest eyes he'd ever seen. I rediscovered this friend on facebook in the last year or so and I told him that his compliment has stayed with me for the last 25 years or so. It may seem silly, but it's not a compliment I get much (really, compliments on my looks have always been few and far between), but it was also given to me during years of my life that were the hardest. Middle school sucked.
I've kept that compliment in the back of my mind and it is a reminder that you should be kind to people because you may never know how one kind thing can stay with someone for so long.
