evidence: I recently heard the following quote from Greek philosopher Plato "Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle". This insightful phrase made me reflect on both my professional and personal life. In my professional life I have had the honor of meeting so many hard working, kind individuals in my 23 years on my job. These are folks who live in our rental housing, have become homeowners with our help, have staved off foreclosure, and are students at the Normandy schools, our community members and many more. They lead lives not unlike mine in their aspirations, their hopes, but face many more battles than I do. I worry about paying for my children’s college education, not am I going to be able to pay for my rent since my car just broke down and I have to fix it to get to work. I worry about having enough time to get my workout in not am I going to lose my home. I worry about, actually I don’t have to worry about much while those we serve have the stress of so many things on their shoulders each and every day. I can only imagine the mental and physical stress this causes. My life is easy compared to so many that we serve. Given all this I try to remember Plato’s admonition, be kind. [...] I ask you to remember the people you pass, meet and interact with everyday are going through some kind of battle, maybe a similar battle to yours, so be kind.