The Kindness Matters Podcast
So. Much. Division. Let's talk about how to change that. Re-engage as neighbors, friends, co-workers and family. Let's set out to change the world. Strike that. Change A World. One person at a time, make someone's life a little better and then do it again tomorrow and the day after that, through kindness.
Kindness is a Super-Power that each of us has within us. It is so powerful it has the potential to change not only your life but those around you, too. Let's talk about kindness.
The Kindness Matters Podcast
Finding Light in Dark Times
Tragedy struck Minnesota when politically motivated violence left State Senator John Hoffman and his wife severely wounded, and former House Speaker Melissa Hortman, her husband Mark, and their dog Gilbert dead. Yet amid this darkness, remarkable stories of compassion and resilience emerged.
The Hoffmans and Hortmans exemplified lives dedicated to service. John advocated tirelessly for families with disabled children and early childhood education, while Yvette brightened countless lives as a kindergarten paraprofessional. Melissa carried the Prayer of St. Francis in her wallet—"Where there is hatred, let me sow love"—words that guided her public service. The Hortmans volunteered training service dogs for people with disabilities and veterans with PTSD, showing their commitment to helping others extended far beyond political office.
Most profound was the response from the Hortman children, Sophie and Colin. Instead of anger, they honored their parents with suggestions that anyone could follow: plant trees, visit parks, pet dogs, share dad jokes, bake for others, or stand up for justice. Their words, "Hope and resilience are the enemy of fear," remind us that kindness persists even in our darkest moments. When tragedy makes us question humanity's goodness, these examples prove that compassion continues to work quietly every day, sometimes obscured but never extinguished by ugliness.
Want to support these families? Links to GoFundMe campaigns for both families and Helping Paws are here:
Support Sophie and Colin Hortman
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Well, hello there and welcome. You are listening to the Kindness Matters podcast and I am your host, mike Rathbun. What is this podcast all about? It's about kindness. It's a pushback against everything negative that we see in the news and on social media today, and it's a way to highlight people, organizations, that are simply striving to make their little corner of the world a little better place. If you want to join in on the conversation, feel free, Go ahead and follow us on all of your social media feeds. We're on Facebook, instagram, tiktok. We're even on LinkedIn under Mike Rathbun. Check us out. We're even on LinkedIn under Mike Rathbun. Check us out and, in the meantime, so sit back, relax, enjoy and we'll get into the Kindness Matters podcast.
Speaker 1:Hello and welcome to the Kindness Matters podcast everybody. I am your host, mike Rathbun, and I want to personally thank you, your family, your friends, your coworkers, your neighbors, strangers on the street I love saying that it's just silly. Make sure you follow us on our socials, too. We're on Facebook, instagram, tiktok, linkedin, youtube. So, yeah, please support our show. If you're listening in whatever podcast platform you're listening on, please make sure to subscribe and follow, or whatever it is that we do these days. I would really, truly, truly appreciate it. So the episode today obviously I'm guestless, but it's going to be a conversation that I've had in my head for a little bit now. In places it's a little bit heavy, but ultimately I like to think it's hopeful. I hope it illuminates a path forward. At least that's the plan, the goal, the hope.
Speaker 1:Here we go, ever since State Senator John Hoffman and his wife Yvette were seriously wounded, and his wife Yvette were seriously wounded. Just to be clear, john, yvette and their daughter Hope were lined up in the entryway of their home, execution style, when John and Yvette were shot and they managed to get the shooter out the door. Hope immediately called 911 and informed them that her dad, state Senator John Hoffman, and his wife had been shot, and that composure most likely saved their lives. They took 17 bullets between the two of them and somehow survived. John is still recovering in the hospital, yvette is home and the former Speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives, melissa Hortman, along with her husband Mark and their dog Gilbert were killed in a politically motivated shooting in the early morning hours of June 14th of 2025.
Speaker 1:We've been having a lot of conversations, given the current political climate in the United States today. Some of those conversations revolved around some frankly disgusting memes and disinformation that circulated shortly after a suspect was named. Most of them were from the usual online bots and trolls, but a few came from people who should have known better, including state lawmakers and even one sitting United States senator. So abhorrent were his two tweets that the junior US senator from Minnesota, tina Smith. From Minnesota, tina Smith, and also the senior US Senator from Minnesota, amy Klobuchar, decided to just forego the typical tweet response and locate him and, in private, berate his lack of tact. And well, humanity, it must have worked, because the tweets were deleted the following day Well, as deleted as any one of us can get these days. They live on in hundreds of thousands of screenshots all over the interwebs and any one of us can access that with a simple Google search. These conversations were bound to happen, but, honestly, they're not the ones that interest me. Yes, they make me mad and they make me angry and I feel like lashing out, but the ones that really make me sit up and take notice were the ones that reaffirmed my faith in humanity.
Speaker 1:Senator Hoffman has worked tirelessly for his community, advocating for families of children with disabilities, early childhood education and those who are aging. His wife, yvette, is a paraprofessional supporting kindergarten students and teachers. Side note, I have followed Yvette Hoffman's Instagram for a few years now and if you're looking for a social media page that will brighten your day, you can't go wrong following her. I can't count the number of mornings I have spit coffee out of my nose stumbling across one of her posts. Just saying Now, I'm not going to eulogize Melissa or Mark Hortman, or Gilbert for that matter, although by all accounts he was literally the goodest boy. He was literally the goodest boy. There are plenty of people who know them and whose lives they touched and they can eulogize them infinitely better than I can. But as I devoured every bit of information because that's what we do when we're traumatized, right, we seek out information. And as I was looking for information, um and I and I devoured every little tiny bit I could get over the weekend, I kept learning more and more about the kindness that exuded from both of these families.
Speaker 1:The Hortmans, interestingly, volunteered as trainers with an organization called Helping Paws Inc that's P-A-W-S, since this is an audio podcast and they're based out of Eden Prairie, minnesota. They were founded in 1988, and they breed, train and place assistance dogs with people who have physical disabilities, and veterans and first responders with PTSD, disabilities and veterans and first responders with PTSD. Gilbert was supposed to be a service dog but instead he became a member of the Hortman family and, as someone who loves all animals, but especially dogs, I can't imagine training one for months on end and then having to send it back, although knowing that my training enabled someone with a physical disability to lead a fuller life, or a vet or a first responder with PTSD to remain and regain their independence and hope, it might make it a little bit easier. Gilbert's injuries that fateful morning were so severe that he had to be put down.
Speaker 1:Another pleasant surprise happened when I was watching an interview with Melissa's parents and her brother. First of all, my heart goes out to them, but especially her parents. No parent should have to bury a child, but especially one who died in such a gruesome and violent way. In the interview, melissa's mom recounts recovering her wallet. She got her purse and the wallet and she spoke about how it was just a tiny little wallet that contained just her ID and a credit card, but tucked inside was a well-worn copy of the Prayer of St Francis of Assisi. Maybe you're familiar with it.
Speaker 1:I first became aware of the prayer of St Francis when I was a kid going to Mass in the 70s. Yeah, I know. During this time some Catholic churches went through what I call their hippy-dippy phase, and what I can only assume was an effort to attract younger worshipers and keep younger butts in the pews. Some churches began to introduce a more hip musical feature, primarily one mass each weekend. This program generally included at least one acoustic guitar and maybe some tambourines and, if the pastor of the church was really groovy, a set of drums. And it was during one such mass that I was introduced to the prayer of St Francis in musical form.
Speaker 1:Now I will take pity on you and I will not attempt to sing that song, but let me just read the prayer to you, and it goes like this Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon when there is doubt, faith when there is despair, hope when there is sadness, joy. O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console, to be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love, for it is in giving that we receive. It is in pardoning that we are pardoned. It is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen.
Speaker 1:I love that prayer Again. I knew it from my childhood and I had forgotten about it until Melissa Hortman's mom talked about it. I loved it in song form and in spoken form. I loved it in song form probably because it was played with an acoustic guitar, but I really hadn't thought much of it until just recently. What a lovely prayer. I think I'm going to make it a habit of mine to recite that prayer each morning now as I prepare for the day. It brings me joy to know that Melissa carried it with her in her wallet and, by all accounts, looked at it often.
Speaker 1:Finally, the one thing that hit me the hardest, brought such a mix of grief and hope, was the letter from the Hortmans' two adult children, sophie and Colin, pardon me. It's a statement that no kid should have to sit down and write, and I cannot imagine how hard that must have been. In the statement they expressed the pain and heartache at finding out they had lost both their parents. They assured everyone who was concerned that they were safe and with loved ones. They expressed their gratitude for the outpouring of love and support they had received and appreciation for respecting their privacy as they grieve, and thanked the many different law enforcement agencies who worked together to apprehend their parents' killer, and especially the officers that were the first to respond to their home and tried to rescue them. And then I can't describe it, so I'm just going to read it verbatim Quote Our parents touched so many lives and they leave behind an incredible legacy of dedication to their community that will live on in us their friends, their colleagues and co-workers and every single person who knew and loved them.
Speaker 1:If you would like to honor the memory of Mark and Melissa, please consider the following Plant a tree, visit a local park and make use of their amenities, especially a bike trail. I love this one. Pet a dog, a golden retriever is ideal, but any will do. Tell your loved ones a cheesy dad joke and laugh about it. Bake something bread for Mark or a cake for Melissa and share it with someone. Try a new hobby and enjoy learning something. Stand up for what you believe in, especially if that thing is justice and peace. That's so. I can't words, just don't have any. I've lost them, but I have a show to do, right. So here we go. This was not theirs, but I'd like to add it as something that you can do To remember Mark and Melissa Donate blood.
Speaker 1:According to multiple sources, so much blood was needed when the Hoffmans were rushed to the hospital. By donating blood, you can literally make the difference between life and death. Anyhow, the children, sophie and Colin, ended their statement with this Quote Hope and resilience are the enemy of fear. Our parents live their lives with immense dedication to their fellow humans. This tragedy must become a moment for us to come together, hold your loved ones a little closer, love your neighbors, trust each other with kindness and respect. The best way to honor our parents' memory is to do something, whether big or small, to make our community just a little bit better for someone else. End quote. What an incredible sentiment, you know.
Speaker 1:Every so often I fear that there's no more kindness in the world, that empathy, compassion and kindness are just horribly outdated notions, that everyone is just out for themselves, that politics is an identity. And then when I meet somebody to have on this podcast who has taken a tragedy or a difficult situation or just notion and turned it into an opportunity to help others, I am reminded that we are not broken at all, that kindness is truly alive in the world and working every single day. It's just that sometimes, every now and then, it's drowned out or obscured by the ugly in the world. But as long as we keep practicing kindness, keep striving to make a positive difference in the lives of others, even if it's just a smile or a listening heart, we will be okay. We will. There are currently GoFundMe campaigns for the Hoffmans, john and Yvette, and also for the Hortman children. You can find the links for both of those in the show notes, as well as a link to helping PAWS. If're in the mood or have the the resources to to donate to any of those, please feel free to do that.
Speaker 1:I want to thank you so much for for taking the time to tune in today. If something in this episode speaks to you, inspires you or motivates you to be the change you wish to see in the world, please, please, please, share it with your family, friends, acquaintances and coworkers. I will be taking a summer break for the next two weeks, but I will be back again in July to bring you more uplifting, inspirational content and to remind you that kindness matters. I am your host, mike Rathbun, and you have been listening to the kindness matters podcast. Thanks, and have a great week.
