Acts of Random Kindness to You

Well, I may not be getting a pedicure, but I sure made my nephew, his parents, and my mother very happy this week. I had set aside a bit of money for a very rare “Back to School” pedicure. However, while deciding when and where to schedule it, an opportunity came through that I simply had to do.

There is a “POLAR EXPRESS” train ride on Thanksgiving weekend that I just knew my 4 year old nephew would LOVE. His parents can’t afford it right now and kids are only that perfect age once where they still believe and are excited by everything Christmas. So, I booked the ride as well as a hotel stay for them near the ride.

To say they were thrilled might be an understatement. All 4 of them are so excited and the little guy, well, he simply can’t wait to ride the train with Santa. I will get a pedicure another time because for now, I am just thankful that my kindness paid off for some of my loved ones. Remember we can make the world a better place one act of kindness at a time! What have you done lately to be kind?

I am fortunate for the most part. I have a great family, an amazing job, and some great friends. However, in the past 2 years, I have found friendships that truly have changed my life. I found friendship in people that weren’t my age; as a matter of fact, both of the ladies I am referring to could be my mothers.

These two ladies weren’t likely friends. I mean they were always kind and compassionate people, but I never imagined our paths would cross and our bonds would become so strong. One of the ladies was my boss and not just my immediate boss, but an upper level boss whom I respected and admired. I even turned to her for advice on things that were business related. Then, she retired and we spent a few dinners together which has turned into a great friendship. The other lady of our trio could not be more different than I am about things. She has coordinating everything, cooks like a television show host, and knows anyone that is anyone in our community.

Recently, I was talking about what on earth has made (3) so unlikely people become such good friends. The response from one of the ladies was simple, but so true. She stated, “We have the important things in common such as kindness, humor, and honesty.” You know what? I think she is right!
Remember not to rule out friendship in the most unlikely places. I am sure glad that I didn’t because it has been very rewarding.
Be KIND to others and to yourself!

I am not overtly religious. Oh, I was raised in a church and I do believe in God and Heaven, but when it comes to organized religion, I am a bit remiss in taking part. Sometimes, I feel bad about that and other times I think my reasons are legitimate. So, I go about my merry way simply trying to be a good person and to do what I think is right. I own up to things that I do wrong and try to fix them and I always give thanks to whomever deserves it.

So, today, I will indeed Thank God. This weekend, we traveled for “Girls Weekend” in Syracuse, NY. It was my sister-in-law, my mom, and my 6 year old niece. About halfway through the day, it happened. It all seemed like slow motion and yet it happened so fast. We were in a head on collision. I remember thinking that there was nothing more we could do and watching the other vehicle slam into us. I never screamed or panicked and I immediately checked to be sure everyone was okay. Then I saw the other man’s windshield, it was shattered and I was concerned. Somehow, some way, he was fine too.

It didn’t make the weekend great, but it could have been much worse. I could have been bitter that our weekend was ruined, but instead I was so grateful that it was only the vehicles that were hurt. Once we got our wits about us, the cops were called and came. We were able to get back on our way once a mechanic looked at the truck.

So, I am home now and still amazed that even though we are all sore and even a little bit shaken, we are all physically fine. Someone was looking over us this past Saturday and I believe that for each person, it may have been whomever or whatever they believe in, but as for me, I will indeed, “THANK GOD!”

Television is always one of those topics that can heat up a discussion. Some people love it, some people hate it and others don’t think much about it one way or the other. Today, one has to be a little picky about what they are going to watch on television especially when it comes to children.

However, that is not to say that there are some really good program options out there. Still fighting the good fight are the PBS stations available in most places. From Sesame Street to Masterpiece Theater; if you look long enough there is something for everyone on PBS.

There is lots of family fun to be found on TVLand and other stations as well. Personally, I watch what I want to watch, but I am not looking out for the influence it might have on children either. I know and follow good morals as well as understanding right from wrong, so if I decide to watch a rather slanted sit com one night or a fast paced action show another night, I am not convinced it is hurting me.

I would love to hear what others think about the topic of televison programming as well…so share away and remember no matter what you watch, it is really all about actions. Spread a little kindness before settling down to watch television tonight.

Well, welcome to everyone, but in case any of my Gather friends from the Kindness All Year Round group decide to visit here, I wanted to give them their very own special welcome. Not a member of Gather?? Oh my, how do you exisit without Gather?

Gather is an amazing social networking site where you can earn gift cards and even cash by simply getting to know other people. There is a referral program and as much as I would love to have a referral from any of my readers, it is more important for me to have you visit a site that you might enjoy. So, head on over to Gather.com and let me know what you think. I can’t help but imagine you will be thanking me for letting you in on this little piece of the world.

As for my already Gather friends, back me up on this and let the world know how great Gather really is…it is isn’t it? I am so glad you have stopped by my blog. Remember the world will be a better place with one act of random kindness at a time!

Sometimes, it is more important to be at peace than it is to be right. Saying the simple words, “I’m sorry” can be very difficult for some people. However, rarely once you have said it do you feel worse. As a matter of fact, most of the time you will feel like a weight is lifted from you. It isn’t about whether the other person forgives you or not, but more importantly it is about realizing you are human and because of that you will make mistakes.

Recently, I was talking to a group of students about a situation that they were all very disappointed in and I closed by saying, “I am sorry this happened, but it could not be prevented.” One of my girls said, ” Teachers don’t have to say their sorry.”

This certainly made me think about how kids sometimes perceive adults. Do they really think we don’t have to apologize for things? During the holidays, we often think about people that we at one point or another found to be important to us. If you have lost touch with someone important and know that they are waiting for you to apologize, why not give it a shot? After all, if they were important enough at one point in your life they are probably still worth it now.

Merry Christmas !!

It it that time of year when kindness is abound. People are looking forward to time with their family, a good meal, and presents under the tree. Well, not everyone has those things and some people are grateful for what they do have this year. I would like you all to meet my friends, 18 year old Justin and his mother Sherry.  Justin is in Stage 5 Renal Kidney Failure with a bleak future. To be honest, it may be his last holiday season. He has fought hard for the past two years including time on dialysis and a great deal of medical procedures. As sick as he is, Justin and his mom simply refuse to give up.

I am writing this because if you click on the link above, you will find that Justin and his mom have some Christmas wishes. They are not extreme or outrageous, just typical things that any young man might need or want. I also have a more detailed list of items he could use from Amazon or Wal-mart. I am asking you, the readers to consider this list. Maybe you have a $5 Amazon code that you can share, I can add it to those I have and if we get to $25 or more we can send a package with Free shipping. Maybe you are able to send some clothing or a donation of your own. Whatever you can do even if it is just kind thoughts, please comment below and let Justin and his mom know that there are kind people in this world. I will post his wishlists tomorrow when I get them all compiled.

The world will be a better place with one Act of Random Kindness at a time !!

Yes, that is right, we are covered in snow. I didn’t teach today as we had a snow day. I can barely believe in October that we had this much snow. It was at least a foot if not more. Along with snow came shoveling and plowing. I am lucky as my husband does all of the shoveling and my brother usually does the plowing. The problem today was that everything went wrong. Or at least it felt that way, but looking back on the day, it provided opportunities to be thankful.

My brother broke down and could not come help us out and that happened just as we got really stuck in the driveway and realized my husband’s 4 wheel drive was no longer working. So, here we are stuck with no plow and things just started to happen. A neighbor from up the road pulled over and told us he would be right back to pull us out. We didn’t even know him, but he stopped anyone. Thanks neighbor.

As I walked across the road to see if our other neighbors minded us parking in their driveway for a bit so we would not get stuck again, the husband met me at the door. Jokingly, he called me the “abominable snowman” and then explained he was on his way over to plow us out with his tractor. Thanks neighbor.

So, sure things went wrong and they are bound to, but in many ways, things went right ! We are blessed to have a community that still believes in neighborly gestures. My husband is on his way out the door with some cookies for these guys. One act of random kindness at a time can change the world !! Try it !

I love to travel and in my travel I make many new friends. One in particular lives in Canada. She has been very special to me and she has helped me through some very rough times. When one of my parents was sick, she sent me a beautiful arrangement of sympathy flowers that I thought was a special act of kindness that was totally unexpected. We are not long time friends but we do email back and forth occasionally and we have spoken by phone on occasion.

The flowers came two years ago and I have always looked for a way to do something nice in return. On one of my calls to her, I was speaking to husband because she was not at home and I found out her birthday was coming up in a few days. After some chatting with him, I found out her favorite flowers were Sunflowers. I was excited!

I went right to my computer and searched for Toronto Flowers. I was looking for some birthday flowers to send to her to show how much her friendship meant to me. I was excited when I ordered them and waited to see what her reaction would be.

The day of her birthday arrived and I did not hear from her. The next day her husband called to say she was sick and my flowers perked her right up and made her whole birthday great. It was one of those random acts that shocked and amazed her even though she had done the same for me just a couple of years ago.

Flowers are a great way to show someone how much you care and it inspires a smile even when there would otherwise be none. I did not know she was sick but the time was perfect to celebrate her birthday and cheer her up from her illness.

Just remember, random acts of kindness not only helps the person who receives it, it helps the giver also.

As a child growing up, I had several biological aunts and uncles. Some, I haven’t seen or talked to in over 25 years, but there is Aunt Lucy on my father’s side and “Aunt” Catherine from my mom’s side that have always been there for me.

The first thing to notice is that I put “Aunt” in quotations in referring to Aunt Catherine. Aunt Catherine was actually a cousin of my mother’s who lost her parents at a young age and grew up like a sister to my mother. Aunt Catherine died a year ago February right before Valentine’s Day.

She had fought the long and hard battle of mesothelioma including having a lung removed that allowed her to live an additional 3 years. I knew I would miss her, but lately it has been an intense feeling of something being missing from my life. She was simply an amazing woman.

Aunt Catherine had little and gave lots. You never went to her home and didn’t get an ice cream cone and more importantly, lots of love and attention. She would have given her last dollar to see her kids get what they wanted. She fought some hard roads including a bitter divorce, mental illness, and then cancer, but she stayed so positive. She was always worried about others. Even in those last weeks, concerned about my mother and father or  her daughter being able to have children.

I sat with Aunt Catherine shortly before Christmas that last year and it was one of the best spent afternoons I can remember. We talked a lot and sometimes when she was catching her breath, we just sat. I was so glad I had taken the time because sometimes I would get too busy and drive by her house thinking there would always be tomorrow.

Her daughter recently told me that the day before she died, Aunt Catherine talked about me and she wished I would reconsider having children. She wished this only because she would not want me to ever be alone in a time of illness or need. Still thinking of others even then, it didn’t surprise me, but it did touch me.

I miss Aunt Catherine, her kindness and compassion that is found in so few these days. If there is an Aunt Catherine in your life, spend time with her or him because it will be over and there you will be “missing” them terribly at the strangest times.