Acts of Random Kindness to You

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.

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.

I have just finished one of the most amazing books that I have ever read. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen was one of those books that I hated to see end. The setting is the circus during the Depression Era, but some of the things that happen are astounding.

You find yourself rooting hard for the protagonist, Jacob, and hating Uncle Al and August so much that your heart actually races with the turn of each page. If this is her first attempt at a fiction novel, Gruen has nailed it perfectly.

The characters, imagery, and plot of the book keep you hooked from beginning to end. Whether it is old man Camel, “Rosie”, Marlena, or let us never forget Barbara and Walter; you want to know them inside out. What makes these people travel with the circus and what makes a place that sells happiness such a dark world?

If you’d like to find out, then get the book, but be ready for an all night read-a-thon and be sure not to get “redlighted”