The Impact We Don’t See
A little note before you dive in….
Originally published in The Wednesday Diaries.
These words first appeared in my weekly newsletter, The Wednesday Diaries, a place where I share stories from everyday life, lessons I'm learning, books I'm loving, and encouragement for the week ahead.
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In college, I used to tell people stories about things that happened to me, and they'd always respond the same way: “You always have the wildest experiences!”
I think they might have been onto something.
Jason and I had a wild experience in 2024 when we got the opportunity to attend a VIP event with one of our favorite bands, Switchfoot. I grew up loving them thanks in part to my obsession with A Walk to Remember.
To celebrate the 20th anniversary of The Beautiful Letdown, Switchfoot did a large tour, playing the entire album in full. I'd never seen them live before, so we jumped at the chance to get VIP tickets.
It was such an intimate experience, less than 100 of us gathered hours before the concert, so we could meet the band, ask some questions, and hear some songs before the concert.
When it came time for song requests, Jon Foreman looked across the sea of faces to see who had a song request. I immediately shot my hand up, praying he would make eye contact with me. I have no idea how he saw me. Still, he immediately looked at me, and I knew it was finally my opportunity to ask him to sing a song of theirs that I have loved for so many years.
I had dreamed of walking down the aisle to the song "Only Hope." I asked him if they could play that song for Jason and I since our wedding was in a few weeks.
Jon's face lit up when I shared my song request. His kindness was overwhelming. Not only did they play the song, but they also had us move closer to the stage, and a kind lady filmed the entire thing for us on my phone.
It was exhilarating. In that moment, every long night, every tear shed, every whispered prayer at 3 am, fists clenched, begging God to take this feeling of loneliness away, it was all worth it.
Somehow, I survived all of the seasons of singleness. The scars still linger on my heart to prove that I had been through hell and back. But I would go through it all again if it meant I got to experience this moment with the man of my dreams. I blinked back tears as Jason held my hand. We knew this was a once-in-a-lifetime moment that we would never forget.
About six months later, Jason and I bought tickets to see Brandon Lake. We were very motivated to go when we heard Jon Foreman was the opener.
Afterward, we had the opportunity to meet Jon on the steps of the Mabee Center at ORU, where he played an acoustic session after the show. About 20 people gathered together. I was so excited to tell Jon that we were the couple he sang "Only Hope" for 6 months earlier. When I told him, I could immediately tell he didn't remember the moment.
For a second, I was surprised. Not offended. Not disappointed. Just surprised.
This was a story Jason and I had told countless times to everyone in our lives. We had the video saved on our phones. We would remember that moment for the rest of our lives.
But for Jon, it was a Sunday in Oklahoma. In his defense, the guy is touring frequently and meeting so many new people daily, so I can't be upset about it.
I kept thinking about that on the drive home.
How many times have I underestimated the impact of something small?
A compliment I barely remember giving.
A text I almost didn't send.
An encouraging conversation that felt routine to me.
What if some of the moments I've forgotten about are moments someone else still carries with them?
Maybe the most meaningful things we do will never feel monumental when we're doing them.
Maybe they'll feel ordinary.
A kind word.
A conversation with a stranger in line.
A text with a Spotify link that says, "This song made me think of you!"
A compliment given in passing.
Most of us will never know which moments become someone else's favorite story.
But that's exactly why kindness matters.
You never know when you're creating a memory that someone else will carry for years.
What's a small act of kindness you'll never forget? What ways could you go out of your way to do something kind for someone else?