Acts of Random Kindness to You

So, this is it, the end of 2008. I can’t say that 2008 was the best year in my life. We struggled with my dad’s Alzheimers before finally having to place him in the nursing home in August. As daddy’s little girl, I found it all a little traumatic, but in many ways I was fortunate. I had a husband to lean on and my mother was stronger than I could have ever imagined during such a difficult time. I still get to see my dad and other than the Alzheimer’s, he does not seem to be suffering. Things could be much worse and for many people in the world, they are much worse.

So, I wanted to take a minute and wish everyone a Happy New Year and remind people that each of us has something to be thankful for even when things get us down. It might be children or grandchildren, it might be a great career, or it might simply be a strong faith in God. Whatever it is, remember to use it to strengthen you in 2009.

My final thought of 2008 is the same as my first thought of 2008 and that is that we can all make the world a better place with just one act of random kindness at a time. Happy New Year and welcome to 2009!!

Tonight I came across a really neat post on another website that I frequent. I requested the author’s permission to use the post here and she had no problem with me doing that, so thanks Gail M. for such a great post about such a great topic and for the permission to share it with others here on ARK2U. It takes one act of kindness at a time to make the world a better place. Here is her post:

Hmm… wondering what’s up?   Don’t you love and appreciate when someone does something nice for you, especially when it is totally unexpected?  And doesn’t it feel good to do good things for others, as well, especially those who are really in need?   Well, that’s kinda what this is about!

Have you seen “PAY IT FORWARD”? (great movie, go rent it if you haven’t seen it!)   Have you read The Kingdom Assignment, by Denny and Leesa Bellesi?

I just finished it, and would love to share it with you. The book is about a pastor who asks for 100 volunteers in his church , and this is what he says. “I have an assignment for you that will change your life.  A Kingdom Assignment.

Before you say no, before you tell me that you are too busy, too untrained, or too ill-equipped to handle one more assignment - especially one for the Kingdom of God, think about this: If you accept the assignment, you will take a small amount of money and increase it up to a hundredfold or more.  You will have the means to help countless people- some with food and clothing, others with medicine or the gospel message-and  in the process, no matter how much money your investment turns into, no matter how many people you will help, you will walk away with more than what your investment will ever make and more than those you’ve invested in.

Interested?”   -and then he gave each of the 100 volunteers a hundred dollars each.    He also have them three rules: -the money belongs to God -invest it in God’s work -report back in 90 days   The people in the church were nervous and uneasy, but then they got excited!  Even those who were not in the original 100 did the assignment, or helped those who were.

This little assignment got the church buzzing, then the town, and even reporters for newspapers and tv were there when the 90 days were up and they all reported back to give their reports.   What had they done?  Whatever God led them to do!

Here are just some examples (if you want some full stories, read the book, they will really move you!) -books for the lonely -blankets for the homeless -Bibles for the spiritually hungry -food for the physically hungry -gifts for those with no means -care packages -oversees help -assistance for the JESUS film project -hours of ministry service -clothing and greeting cards to the sick -homes for homeless families in Mexico -grief packages for those who  have miscarried or lost an infant -assistance to unwed mothers -medical equipment to those without -camp scholarships for needy children -a table for a family that had no where to sit at mealtime -a bone marrow drive -and many, many more!

there are some INCREDIBLE stories! -the story about Steve.  He lost his precious little girl  to a tragedy, and in the midst of his loneliness and depression, found this church and accepted Christ.   What did he do?  He got together with other’s in his neighborhood, and planned a wishing tree in the honor of his daughter, Alex.

The goal: to fulfill the Christmas wishes of needy families in the community who otherwise would have no gifts that year.  After taking a paper ornament with a child’s name and gift wish on it, the $100 that Steve started out with turned into over $8,000 in gifts and touched hundreds of people.  Steve didn’t have his daughter, but he had a new found happiness for the children that he helped, and he wrote “Perhaps the most profound impact from this project was that a man, after spending most of his adult life in darkness, stepped a bit further into the light”.

-Terry ended up using the money to help a woman who had left (with her two children) an abusive relationship.  Lisa  was then living in a safe house when she was assaulted and stabbed.  All of this woman’s dignity was gone, but she was still trying to make a better life for her children, and Terry helped.  Terry also became friends with Lisa, because Terry, too, had long ago been in an abusive relationship.

-Kim was talking to her friend who was taking a literature class and was reading to sick kids in the hospital.  She remarked that for many, it was all they had to look forward to.  Kim had her idea!  She used the money (and received donations) to buy books to make a library for the kids, and then kept it going by donating books to a teen shelter, as well!

-Brooke used the money for boys that could not join the boy scouts because they could not afford the cost of the uniforms or the book.

-Julie used the money (and the donations of others) to throw a baby shower for a young, unwed mother whose family had rejected her because of the pregnancy, and who had no real friends.  She got everything she needed, and most importantly, knew that she and her unborn baby were loved.

And what were the things that the volunteers said after it was all said and done?    “We received more than we ever gave” “God answered prayer” “A little can go a long way” “Opportunities are all around us every day. “I discovered what’s really important”

After three months, the facts were unbelievable.  $10,000 had become more than $100,000 and thousands of people had been clothed or fed or brought into a relationship with God.  Whole communities were changed in the process, and now, everyone wanted to know about the Kingdom Assignment.

Pretty interesting and exciting, huh?  I thought so! At the end of the book, it challenges the reader to do their own Kingdom Assignment.   I have really been thinking and praying about what I will do.  At first, I didn’t know what I could do, but now I realize, there are SO MANY ways that $100 can be used to help others, it’s so hard to choose.

So, here it is for you to read and ponder.  Would any of you like to take on the Kingdom Assignment with me? Can’t do the $100?  How about $50? $25?  Even five dollars can buy a homeless person lunch, even one dollar can buy someone a card to cheer their day. (the amount is NOT what matters!) Or how about your time (much more valuable to many than money!)  Instead of a hundred dollars, how about a hundred minutes?   Are you reading this, thinking, “Kingdom Assignment, I DON’T EVEN  BELIEVE IN GOD!” You can still do this assignment in your own way, you can still “PAY IT FORWARD”!  I’m sure there are many worthy causes you can think of that you would like to help!

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 !!

I first became acquainted with Peter Joseph Swanson on the Gather website. Peter is not only a very personable man, but he is a talented writer. How do I know? I recently read his book titled, Hollywood Sinners and I loved it.

This books is Book One of a trilogy and of course I am hoping my husband is smart enough to know I want to continue the series and I will find the next book in my stocking. I think what I liked best about this book is that it was a little different. It wasn’t a typical modern day romance novel, there was a touch of history, some offbeat humor, and a great story line.

So, are you looking for a fun and different kind of read this holiday season? If so, then visit Peter Joseph Swanson’s book page and get to ordering as time is running out and you won’t be disappointed !

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 !!

This summer, Tom and I went on a very simple, but wonderful vacation to the Old Forge, NY area. We stayed in a cabin and browsed some quaint little shops. We swam and sat by campfires. During our week here, one of the highlights was browsing the book stores that had a lot of Adirondackbooks. I became transfixed by a series of books known as “Woodswoman” which were written by Anne LaBastille. There are four books in the series that span 35 years of her life living in the secluded Adirondack woods by herself. It should be noted that books three and four are much more difficult to find, but are well worth the search.

These books bring with them a sense of peace and independence. Her trials and tribulations in the Adirondack wooods as well as her joys and sorrows are so vividly written that sometimes you feel as if you are right there with her. As she and her various German Shepards venture through the years, you become a part of her life. As a matter of fact, you almost find yourself cheering her on.

While on vacation I spoke with several bookstore owners about Anne LaBastille and how I would have loved to have met her. All told similar tales of her being ill at this point in her life. Whether or not that is true, I do not know, but what I do know is that I am a better person for having found and read her books. If you have ever dreamed of living completely off the grid and on your own, these books will inspire you to new heights.

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 !

My husband just showed me a neat new website that is aimed at spreading a little Halloween cheer and friendliness. Who doesn’t need those things in their life?  Ghosting It Forward is just what it sounds like, you simply do something positive and start a hopeful chain reaction. The site has some great stories and ideas. The best part about the entire idea is that it costs so little and can make such a difference. I would love to hear about your “ghostly” activities, so stop back and tell me about them.

It is also a great way to get kids involved with some positive fun for Halloween. This could go in so many directions that I can’t wait to see what we can do with it here in our little town. So, what is stopping you? Let’s make the world a better place with one act of random kindess at a time.

First of all, my apologies for being missing in action for so long. It has been a challenging fall. Besides getting back to school, the weekend before returning to work, we had to place my father in a nursing home. For anyone that has not read previous posts, my father is 64 years old and has Alzheimers disease. For over two years, my mother and the rest of us have been with him 24 hours a day. Mom still has several years of working full time and we simply could not keep up as he got worse. He took a fall on Labor Day weekend that scared my mother and that was that. It has not been an easy decision, but I think it is the best one. The facility that he is in is for his specific disease which is nice.

So, the holidays are approaching and financial times are tough. Anyone have any great tips to share as to how they are going to cut back while still getting in the spirit? If so, I would love to hear them. I am going to try and get here more often now that things are settling down. I have read some great books to review and have had some real acts of kindness come my way this fall, so I certainly have plenty to talk about and I look forward to it !

Until next time, remember it is always fun to be kind for absolutely no reason at all.

This is the time of the year that I always look forward to. As a teacher, I also get to shop for new clothes at the beginning of the school year. I love to look through the many stores to find out the latest fall fashion trends. It is exciting to shop for new clothes.

One way that I find the best savings is to do a lot of online shopping. I can often find major retailers that offer a bigger savings by shopping over the Internet. This is because they do not have the over head selling online as they do in the stores. Because of lower overhead, I often save a large amount of money by shopping the online stores. The best part is, I get it all shipped right to my front door.

Keeping up with the latest fall fashion shopping trends is easier because you can compare store to store to see what is out and what is in. Teaching high school requires me to stay with in the current trend so i can better relate to my students. It also gives me a great excuse to shop for new clothes.

I am excited about going back to school and just as excited that i will look good while I am teaching. However, even if you are not a teacher, it is a great time to find great deals and treat yourself to a act of random kindness.