Receiver of a random act of kindness. . .

On a very cold and snowy evening after working late...very, very late... I discovered that a Snow Scraper Fairy Angel had paid a visit to my car! She had cleaned off all of the snow and ice for me! WOW! I felt such relief and a warm sense of love in my heart after having to trudge through the snow across the frozen tundra of our empty parking lot to see the lovely little footprints all around my car and the windows cleared of all snow and ice. I was so touched that someone did such a nice thing for me; especially after a long day at work. Fortunately I had a feeling that I knew who my Snow Scraper Fairy Angel was and even though it was very, very late I called anyway. To my joy I found out that the Snow Scraper Fairy Angel had arrived home to discover a freshly cleared driveway courtesy of the Awesome Neighbor Who Does Nice Things Fairy Angel! WOW, do a kind deed and bam! have one done for you. It was so nice to witness the Kindness Begets Kindness Karma. THANK YOU SNOW SCRAPER FAIRY ANGEL!!!

And thank you Robyn for giving me a place to go to when I need a warm feel good pick-me-up. Your blog rocks!!

Very Young Girls

I saw a documentary "Very Young Girls", which is about teenage prostitution in New York City. It was really hard to watch. They said that the average age of a girl entering prostitution is 12-14 years old.

The documentary features a program called GEMS, which educates and mentors young girls that are trying to get out of prostitution in New York. They help girls ages 12 to 21.

I donated $50 to this organization in Stacy's memory: http://www.gems-girls.org/index.html

Merry Christmas

Is it a stranger in need, or a moment of opportunity?

How many times have you seen some one that could possibly use a hand, but just keep on your way thinking "They'll be ok". Sadly, I've done it many times... either it wasn't convenient timing, or I saw them too late, etc. But how could our help affect those people who need it? To consider that you have the power to give someone hope or happiness, just by offering a hand is pretty amazing.

Below are acts from two thoughtful people who stopped to help....

I helped a lady who was broken down during a rain storm.

Yesterday, I was driving to the location where I volunteer for WINGS (an organization that provides assistance to woman and children who are victims of domestic violence and/or homelessness). Anyway, I was driving round a corner and I noticed an elderly couple in their garage/driveway. The husband was sitting on the ground in a crumpled sort of way and the wife was trying to help him get up by bringing him a chair to use to pull himself up. I stopped and asked if they were okay and if they needed some help. They declined. They looked like they could be successful, so I slowly drove on. Something told me to stop and wait and see. I stopped a house or two down so that I could observe if he was able to right himself. When it looked like they really did need help I turned around and went back. As I got out of my car, their neighbor, who had just arrived home, came over and between the two of us we were able to pull the poor old guy up and get him into a chair. Of course I had to tease the old guy a bit about being more careful the next time he was running around after his wife. Funny, because his walker was right there. Evey one laughed a little and the upsetting situation was diffused. Both couple and neighbor were grateful that I stopped. I felt good about myself too, for stopping and then having the foresight to stop and observe the situation further and then turn around and go back to help. It was a simple thing to do. But, I wondered how many people had driven past them before I stopped. I spent the rest of the day helping the kids in the WINGS program pick out free Halloween costumes. So, it was a good day for me. I was rewarded with absolutely beautiful, unseasonably warm weather so that I could drive around with the top down on my car for one more time this year.

Receiver of Kindness...

I think a lot of people can relate with some part of this story. I hope the man in it IS blessed. Read on.....

Money has been really tight lately. REALLY tight. We've been trying to find new ways to conserve our spending. It makes it hard when even grocery prices are getting higher and higher. After months of buying only the bare minimum, I was able to go grocery shopping today with more than enough money in my account. It felt good to be able to buy fruit, chips for lunches, and the cage free eggs. And it felt good to do so without feeling worry or guilt.

I had gone to a nearby grocery store that is not my normal place to go... but it had the best deals currently, so I went. I had noticed strange railings in front of the store on my way in, but it didn't occur to me what their purpose was until I left.

All in all I spent $111. And I got a lot of groceries for it. And then I met the railings again. Apparently, the store has put these railings up so people cannot steal the grocery carts. They also cannot take their grocery carts into the parking lot. You have to try and carry everything to your car yourself, or drive your car up to the sidewalk to unload the groceries there. Of course, the latter means leaving your groceries for anyone to take.

A man was standing outside, and asked me if I needed help. I cheerfully replied, "Oh no, I can manage" (as I was slinging bags over my arms with only a cart full of groceries to go). His reply was, "I insist, you don't have to pay me anything". I felt so humbled, because I didn't have anything to give him anyway. He started to pick up some of my bags, and I accepted his offer with a lot of appreciation. When we got to my car, I asked him if he was ok with groceries, and offered him some food. He said "No, God blesses me in other ways".

I know that this isn't the "thank you" he deserves... but maybe his kindness will inspire others.

What a great idea for a Holiday gift exchange!

Our group decided to forgo our usual Christmas gift exchange this year. We are donating underwear to the needy and homeless. Each is to bring their own size so there will be a good selection. Also, we are bringing toys, mittens and hats for kids to take to a shelter. Stacy was always excited to take a ornament off the "Angel Tree" each Christmas (buy a gift and return it for a child who otherwise would not receive one).

Food for hungry children and their families

This e-mail is sad and hopeful. And I think it is a problem that will become more and more common. If you can't, or don't want to, contribute to the below cause, maybe we could all look into our pantries or wallets to donate to our local food shelters....

The "Lend-a-Hand" program was started by the Argus Leader in Sioux Falls, SD. Their mission is to raise $225,000 for the BackPack Program run by the Sioux Falls Food Pantry. Because the newspaper covers all administrative costs, every tax-deductible donation goes to the charity.

This program sends backpacks filled with food home with children for the weekend. My mother's church, Hillcrest Church, helps out with donations. They are asking their members for their help. The church will double their member's donations for the backpack program. I just heard on the news that Sioux Falls has 600 homeless children.
These children receive free lunches at school, but sadly go hungry over the weekend. A lady from the the Food Pantry talked at Mom's church this weekend. She was telling a story of a little girl who was so proud to be taking food home for her family and best of all her little brother would be able to eat breakfast the next morning.

To donate to this worthy cause please send contributions to:

Lend-a-Hand/Argus Leader

Attn: Rhonda Robb

Box 5034

Sioux Falls, SD 57117-5034

Helping those who help....

Sometimes we forget that the organizations that make "acts of kindness" their business, need help. I hope you love this story as much as I did... and maybe even find a little inspiration in it. Who knows, is there a Ronald McDonald House near you?

Decorating the Ronald McDonald House

Tonight I went with several co-workers to the Ronald McDonald house here in Chicago. It is in lovely Lincoln Park neighborhood near the Chicago Children's Hospital and houses families while their children are receiving treatment. It is a huge old sandstone mansion with all the beautiful old wood, a giant front room, and a large staircase as you walk in. 21 bedrooms and 2 kitchens with large eating areas. Can you believe ONE family used to live there??

http://www.rmhccni.org/content.cfm/rmhchildrens (if you want to see the house)

Abena the director showed us around and the 9 of us got to work putting together 3 trees and an entire set for a Dickens Village. After setting up the largest tree in the living room I moved downstairs to decorate the pre-lit tree with ornaments. There was a family sitting around a table and a teenage boy playing video games. I started hanging ornaments on the tree when out of the corner of my eye I see a little tricycle pull up. I look up and see a little girl about 5 years old. I try to smile as best as I can and not turn away quickly. I say hello and continue putting ornaments on the tree. The little girl has a tube coming out of her nose that has blood on it, a large tube behind her ear, a small bandage to hold everything in place, and is missing a large chunk of hair on the side.

She continues to watch me put ornaments on and I'm trying not to cry, I cry easily these days. So after a minute I ask her if she wants to help me. She has difficulty understanding me and asks me to repeat what I said. She gladly excepts the 2nd time and I begin handing her ornaments to hang on the tree. She wobbled a few times but in about 20 minutes she had the lower half of the tree loaded with ornaments, some with 2 on a branch :-). During the process her Mother ran upstairs, got her camera, and snapped a few pics of her working away. The little girl's name was Carly and she is from Mississippi. She thinks Chicago is pretty but it's very cold compared to where she's from. She just had brain surgery a few weeks ago and is getting ready to go home on Tuesday. I thanked her for her help & went back upstairs.

I ran into her a few more times as we went around the house, and each time she helped us put little knick knacks up. As we left I shook her hand and thanked her again for the wonderful job she did. She looked up and me and said "No thank you, lady". I told her to take care of her tree. "My tree?", she said smiling. Yes Carly that's your Christmas tree.

Thanks to Robyn for allowing me to post this story. Now everyone, go out and do something for someone!

The possibility of children's minds and hearts

My heart melted when I read this story... I think these 2 children are already great influences. The following story is from the mother of 2 young boys.

I was talking with the boys about Christmas, and that this year we are not going to have a lot of gifts. My eldest told me that it's ok because they have too many toys anyway. So as the discussion continues, we talk about the possibility of donations instead of some gifts. Both boys embraced this idea more than I thought they would to be honest - what kid will pass up toys?? Anyway, when Grandma asked what they wanted, my eldest said "just a small toy and then help dogs and cats". My husband's mom looked at me puzzled to say the least. I explained everything and in my son's name a donation will be made to a local shelter for Christmas. When my youngest was asked about it, he wanted to help the rain forest. So a donation will be made in his name to the Arbor Day Foundation Rain Forest Rescue. It made my heart happy that they were not "coached" on what to say. It was a discussion we had, and they chose to follow through on it.

Stacy's children...

My act of kindness is for Stacy's sweet children. I promise to pray for them every day for the rest of my life.

I am so moved by this act. And it brings to memory a few other acts from last year. Included in the loved ones that Stacy left behind, are her two children. They were 4 and 6 at the time she died... just a few weeks before the eldest turned 7. I wanted to share with you a few kind acts done for them.

Sorry to make the story a bit long... but hopefully the time you spend reading it will be worth it.

Since she was 3, my niece has asked for Butterscotch. For those of you that don't know, Butterscotch is a realistic robotic pony about as big as my niece (Butterscotch comes with a brush, a micro-chipped carrot, and a pretty price tag to boot)! As you can imagine, there were many conversations explaining to her why it wasn't possible for her to have Butterscotch. She remained hopeful and persistent, even when she didn't receive Butterscotch that first Christmas of asking. A few months after Stacy died, Christmas was upon us again, albeit a bit sadly.

We exchanged most gifts on Christmas Eve night... Christmas morning is saved for the kids. It's then that they open presents from Daddy and Santa.

My boyfriend's brother and sister-in-law have never met my family, but gave me two wrapped gifts for the kids. We had no idea what they were. We would find out Christmas Eve night....

I hadn't noticed my nephew opening his gift until I heard.....

"$50?! Papa! Did you hear that?! I got a $50 gift card to Toys R Us!!!" (my nephew's eyes were HUGE)

Everyone around him: "50 DOLLARS?!"

Nephew: "But they don't even know me."

Me: "But they love you anyway"

Nephew: Looked at Auntie Robyn in disbelief.

He felt sooo rich. It was awesome :)

My niece looked completely dangerous when we told her she had her own spending money for Toys R Us... we can tell that she is going to be a major shopper. ;)

We all had a great time, and there were many smiles in spite of the impending vacancy. The next day, after the kids opened their Daddy and Santa gifts, Mom made a wonderful Christmas lunch (with a little help). When we were all done stuffing ourselves, we started to clean up the remnants of our feast; and there was a knock at the door. All I saw was a flash of Red and White, and we called the kids to the kitchen. There was Santa, bringing in a medium sized box and setting it down on the floor. Everyone looked at each other questioning "who invited Santa??" We all got the same shrug and look in response "Not me! I have no idea?!"

Next, Santa came back in lugging a large bag with him. My niece immediately exclaimed, "It's Butterscotch!" We all tried to hush her. We were desperate not to raise her hopes. My nephew was on the floor helping his sister with the tie.... before the bag was even open, he yelled "It's Butterscotch!" I told him to not say that... because we couldn't believe it was. As soon as the bag was opened, my niece was inside of it. "It IS Butterscotch!!" And it was. The bag was removed, and there was Butterscotch, completely assembled and laying down. We all looked at each other, in disbelief for what had just transpired. There was my niece sitting on top of her new pony saying "I wanted Butterscotch so much, and I never stopped wanting her! And now I got her! Can you believe it? I got her!!"

For the record, my nephew received a Nintendo DS. And there marked the day my niece and nephew met their soul mates.

I have to admit that I am not one to spoil children with many material possessions. With that said, this was the most magical Christmas I have ever witnessed. And I will never forget the spirit that surrounded us.



(Santa was in cahoots with a very special family friend)

More for our soldiers away from home....

My friend who introduced me to "AdoptAPlatoon", sent me another way to support our troops. Please read on as this is such an awesome opportunity!

Hi Robyn-

There is another organization that supports our troops called Soldiers Angels. What I have decided to do is to, in addition to the packages that I am going to send out to my 4 soldiers through Adopt A Platoon, I have sponsored a holiday package to go out to one of the soldiers through Soldiers Angels. It is only about $20 per holiday package. Maybe some of your other folks that read your blog might want to sponsor a package for a soldier too. Here is the information:

Dear Angel,

This Holiday season, the goal of Soldiers' Angels is to send 180,000 Wrapped in Holiday Spirit Care Packafuges - one for every service member deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan. That's 180,000 heroes wrapped in warmth from home when they are going to need it most. When they are, at this special time of year, so far from family and friends, we will provide them with comfort and support from home in the form of a Blanket of Belief, thermal mug, hot cocoa, hot cider, warm socks, candy bar or health food bar, gum and a holiday card with warm wishes from home.

This is a huge project and in order to reach our goal, we are asking all Angels, "Can you be there for a hero this Holiday Season?" There are a variety ways this can be done. You can send a Wrapped in Holiday Spirit care package to a specific soldier, you can send one to "Any Soldier" and--new this year--you can send a care package to a soldier in honor of a friend, family member or loved one.

Don't we all know at least one person who has everything, one who is really hard to shop for? Think of how great it will be to honor them by sending some warmth and support to one of our heroes. Once you have ordered your package(s) just email your store confirmation # to holidays4heroes@gmail.com and we will send you a beautiful certificate you can present to them to celebrate your generous and thoughtful gift in their honor.

Here comes the BEST part: it's all a short visit to the Angel Store and an email away. They are currently on sale for 25% off, making the cost, just $18.75 including shipping & handling. How many people would you like to be able to cross off your shopping list for less than $20.00 without changing out of your P.J.'s? And no using all the gas in the tank, either!

To support a hero this Holiday, visit the Angel Store at www.angelsstore.org. To find the Wrapped in Holiday Spirit package go to the Navigation section (left side) and click on "Care Packages." The Wrapped in Holiday Spirit package can be found in the "Themed Packages" section. Or, just click here.

This is truly a time we need to fly wingtip to wingtip, Angels. So, what do you say? Can you be there for a hero this Holiday Season?

Love,

Patti & the Holiday for Heroes Team

I'm still here, as well as your oh-so-sweet-acts!

We've been out of the state visiting our families; and although we had wonderful visits, I apologize for the delay in posting.

Here are a couple of lovely little stories...

I went to Younkers and bought some button up sweaters and took them to the nursing home today. They were going to give them to some patients who would like or need them. I remember how kind Stacy was at the nursing home. Always a smile on her face.

I went to the pharmacy today and asked if they would let me pay for part of someone's medicine that didn't have insurance... and they let me!

Matching Donations to Your Local Food Bank (Until Friday!)

The following article is from a blog called "fivecentnickel.com". Please read through it, and contact their blog if you can participate!

Matching Donations to Your Local Food Bank
Posted by nickel on October 15, 2008 (9:36 am) in Charity

For those of you that don’t keep up with this sort of thing, today is Blog Action Day. If you’re not familiar with Blog Action Day, it’s a day when upwards of 10k bloggers (myself included) band together to write about a topic that needs greater attention. Last year’s topic was the environment. This year, the topic is poverty.

Rather than simply writing about the poverty problem, I decided that I wanted to do something a bit more tangible. So… Like last year, I thought I’d try to raise a bit of money to help combat the problem.

Here’s how it works… My family will match all donations made this week up to $1000 total (today through Friday) with a donation of our own. Note that this will be in addition to our normal annual contributions, so it’s a true match. All you have to do is find your local food bank, make your donation, and then let me know about it. In order to simplify the record-keeping, all of our matching donations will go to our local food bank in a lump sum donation.

Feed the world in four easy steps:

1. Visit Feeding America to find your local foodbank.

2. Make your donation (follow the link directly to your local foodbank, or donate via Feeding America).

3. Let me know via e-mail to ‘nickel’ at this domain (fivecentnickel.com) or via my contact form (specify the amount).

4. Save your receipt… It’s tax deductible, after all.

For the most part, we’ll do this on the honor system, but I reserve the right to ask for proof of any questionable (in my opinion) donations. Proof would constitute a screen shot of your donation (or confirmation e-mail) — you will of course be free to blot out the sensitive parts (name, address, etc.).

Don’t worry, my goal here is to give the money away. I just don’t want someone lying that they gave a large amount and effectively ending the fundraiser early.

Assuming that people actually take me up on this offer, I’ll post a list of donors and amounts (I may post periodic updates, as well, depending on the response).

Fellow Bloggers: Make a minimum donation of $50 and I’ll include a link to your site when I post updates and/or the final list. Again, keep in mind that I might ask for proof, so don’t lie. If you do, I’ll out you in a very public way.

About Feeding America*

Feeding America is the nation’s leading charitable hunger-relief organization:

• A network of more than 200 member food banks and food-rescue organizations
• Serving all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico

The Feeding America network secures and distributes more than 2 billion pounds of donated food and grocery products annually.

The Feeding America network supports approximately 63,000 local charitable agencies operating more than 70,000 programs including food pantries, soup kitchens, emergency shelters, after-school programs, Kids Cafes, Community Kitchens and BackPack Programs.

Each year, the Feeding America network provides food assistance to more than 25 million low-income people facing hunger in the United States, including more than 9 million children and nearly 3 million seniors.

*Feeding America was formerly known as America’s Second Harvest.

Article taken from fivecentnickel.com - http://www.fivecentnickel.com
URL to article: http://www.fivecentnickel.com/2008/10/15/matching-donations-to-your-local-food-bank/

More... but not the same

I am so very pleased to share more acts of kindness for children. I'll let these 5 stories speak for themselves....

My husband and I are currently going through the foster care process hoping to bring in a child soon!

We had a fund raiser at school today, and a number of people contributed towards those who couldn't afford the lunch.

My boss gave me tickets to the Cubs playoff game. I love the Cubs, but gave the ticket to my boyfriend so he could take his son to such a big game. To make it a little even for his younger brother and sister, I got them tickets to the circus.

When Sister Euphrasia from Camaroon, Africa, stayed with us here at Clare Hall for two weeks, she was intrigued with the teaching materials I've developed for deaf children. She bought my two DVDs of workbooks for deaf children. I surprised her by constructing and giving her sets of blocks containing JULIE AND JACK comic strip stories. The blocks are very educational. They help deaf children acquire various skills- reading, thinking, comparing, sorting, arranging stories in sequence and then finding sentences that match the pictures and tell the story. Sister Euphrasia was delighted. Now she's back in Camaroon.

I volunteered September 26 at the Boys and Girls Club. Many of the kids are from pretty rough neighborhoods. The volunteer coordinator took me to the gym where approximately 70+ children were running wild! It was VERY intimidating right away... but after just a few minutes I had already made a few friends amongst them. After chatting quite a bit with one little girl, she told me she wanted to be an EMT and a police officer when she grew up because her uncle had been shot in the eye and survived. After 3 hours it was time to leave, and I got many hugs from these awesome kids. I also spoke with the art teacher about supplies. She said she would gladly take anything I could donate as they never have many supplies. I went shopping, and bought just over $100 worth of paints and projects for lots of little children!

Dear Neighbor....

I chose my next door neighbors as the recipient of my planned random act of kindness because they are such a cute couple. They are a young mom and dad and a baby that live in the one bedroom garden apartment in the building next door. I see them from time to time, on their way to work or to family parties. They always have a blanket covering the baby in it's car carrier and they are always coming and going with what looks like extended family and or friends. They just seem like a nice couple that are hard working and just trying to provide for their small family. So, I thought that I would do something nice for my quite shy but friendly neighbors. I started with the couple in the garden apartment. One night, I secretly slipped an envelope into their mailbox. The envelope contained a $20 Target gift certificate along with one of their red reusable shopping bags. I also put in a small card that said "Smile, you've just been tagged. Encouraging random acts of kindness is the name of the game, and now you are it." On the back of the card it read "Someone reached out to you with an anonymous act of kindness. Now it is your chance to do the same. Do something nice for someone, leave this card behind, and keep the spirit going! Visit www.selflessacts.blogspot.com for my inspiration. Or, visit www.helpothers.org for more ideas and info." The card included the following quote, " The fragrance always remains on the hand that gives the rose. - Gandhi." I found these cards at the www.helpothers.org site. I liked their idea of leaving or giving the card when you commit random or anonymous acts of kindness. I ended up making up my own set of cards to use. I made up some in in Spanish too. Soon, I plan to secretly leave envelopes in the mailboxes of the upstairs apartments nextdoor. It was fun figuring out what I was going to do on Stacy's Day, and I felt really good at the vision I had of their faces when they opened the envelope. I hope that they put that card to good use. I had originally wanted to buy them a package of diapers for the baby but I couldn't figure out how to fit that into their mailbox.

For the people we see nearly everyday.....

Many of us see our co-workers more than anyone else in our lives. Even past co-workers can remain in our hearts and thoughts for years to come.

In Stacy's honor, I just gave a colleague who loves a Caribou Coffee a $10 gift card that was given to me this morning as a small job related reward. Nothing big, but in the spirit, so I thought I'd share.

There is a very sweet person named Esther with whom I worked about 10 years ago. She is a very cheerful and kind person, the type that it is a real joy to get to be around. She lives in Texas now and my mom and her have kept in touch (I was working at the company that my mom is still employed with), but I have not. Esther even sent up a wedding gift for me when I got married 5 years ago. I have meant to write her, but being a cell phone/email person I have never gotten around to writing a letter and going to the post office (that mysterious place I don't go to which is right across the street from my work). For my small act of kindness then I am writing a letter to an old friend to say hello and see how she has been, and while I am bothering to mail something I figured "Why not send along some cookies too?". I made some ginger cookies which I am sending along because who wouldn't like to get cookies unexpectedly?!

Also, I'd like to add that my aunt works for a company that gives its employees 8 hours to volunteer, 4 hours to volunteer for united way, and also the 4 hours for pay it forward. I had never heard of a company giving time to "pay it forward"! This could be something to keep in mind next time your company asks for suggestions, perhaps?

Food for Thought....

Occasionally, people have times in their lives in which they are in a certain amount of hardship. I can only imagine how much they have to face, without worrying about where their next meal will come from.

What a relief (and a feeling of being loved) it must be when someone cares enough to provide a person or family facing hardship with food.

Here are 2 stories of such situations.....

1. A friend of mine from dance class had her hip replaced, she is one of the key drummers. Her husband who is a fellow dancer was busier than ever trying to provide the nurturing care for her.
My husband (who is a chef) cooked a number of meals and I delivered them.
A tribute to your sis...

2.Our random act of kindness wasn't exactly random. We decided to take food to two different places in town. We were able to get quite a bit of meat at a discounted price (it was excellent meat - we have an in with a store). In our city there is a place that houses men and families. The night before we were there they fed 55 men, women and children. We gave them two huge hams which would be one meal for them. We also left pork loins and sandwich meat. We were told they didn't have a meal for that weekend. With the hams we brought and a local farmer's produce they would.

The second place we chose was a home for HIV/AIDS patients. They have 4 residents at this time and 2 Nuns living there. This home was founded by one of the Sisters. The Bishop we had at the time was a favorite of Stacy's. We felt he had a hand in the building of the home so that was why we chose it.

Like I said we got a good price for the meat. In a regular store I'm sure it would have run at least $300 or $400. Thanks to the generosity of friends we paid $80. We plan to take more meat to them, especially during the holidays.

Children are our most valuable natural resource.

First, I have to apologize for not blogging sooner. I have to admit I was naively shocked at how sad the last several days have been. I truly thought September 26 and the days surrounding it would be full of joy. And there I was, guiltily trying to shake off looming sadness.

In the last several days, I have received so many e-mails from people of beautiful things they have done.

And while my intentions with this blog were to make all of you feel good, it ended up being all of you making me feel better.

Thank you so much for your kind actions and words.

SO! Let's start sharing some stories, shall we?!

The below stories are both about children, and are from 2 different people. The first, a mother; the second, a young fiance.

The boys and I were talking about what we could do to "help" and where our interest lies (this was MONTHS ago). Ethan being the lover of animals wants to send money to every charity he sees on TV for the abused animals. Since we don't have money to send to every charity he sees on TV, I was looking for ways to donate time. Due to his young age none of the local shelters will let him volunteer - he is only 6. We went to my aunt's house who has horses, and after we took the boys riding, they helped feed the horses. I spoke with my aunt, and we now help brush and feed the horses every other weekend. It will help her out and Ethan in particular loves it!

Aiden is nearly 4, and all about the environment. He makes sure everything is recycled! He is all about driving wisely (planning errands to use the least amount of gas). Well, again there is not much offered for kids his age, but I did find one opportunity through www.greatlakesadopt.org that was age appropriate. I guess every year they have a day in the spring and another in the fall to clean the beaches of the Great Lakes, it all happens from 9 am to 12 noon in Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana and Michigan. The boys and I volunteered on the to help clean at a local beach. Since the attention span of a 4 year old is not all that long, we lasted about one hour. We managed to clean up 4 lbs of trash that included plastic bags, newspapers, cigarette butts, pens and straws.... I received an update after the event and found out there were over 2700 volunteers at 48 sites in Illinois alone - up from the 1800 volunteers they had last year. What was nice is all ages can help with this project and we cannot wait to do it again in the spring to get the beaches ready for swimming!

And our second story is from Blog: http://jenandbritt.blogspot.com/2008/09/how-sweet-it-is.html

I had a great teacher in high school. His name was Father Stapp. Yes, he was my religion teacher. Others in my high school would probably roll their eyes at this, but I really did take a lot away from his class.

He was unique. He taught us about religion through a different lens. He taught that God lives in the smallest acts and things. He showed us pictures he took every day.

He showed me how beautiful dandelions could be or how beautiful a dairy cow could be (his favorite at the time was named Sue). He could take an average rock and talk about it like it was a diamond. He had something special, to see beauty in such average looking things.

One lesson that I carry in my life from Fr. Stapp is to buy lemonade at every lemonade stand ran by little kids. He told us it does not take much time or money to make a big impact.

Matt and I did this the other day. We were in a hurry to drive to our house and then down to Tucson for the University of Arizona football game. We drove by the lemonade stand at first and I knew we should stop to buy some. On the way out of town, we drove through again and bought two cups of lemonade and tipped them. The two boys were so proud of their effort and of their profits.

It was a simple act, but it was a great act, even though we dumped the lemonade out of sight of the boys. I am so glad we took the time to go back to their lemonade stand and pay them 2 dollars. They proudly told us with our money they made 11 dollars that day.

I am happy I can still live out some of Fr. Stapp’s simple, yet great life lessons. Just imagine if everyone could do one small act of kindness everyday...

Looking for idea's? Watch for moments of opportunity.

Many acts of kindness come about in moments of opportunity. I was waiting to cross the street one day, and a city bus flew by! Before it got to the stop, an older woman next to me ran to the curb waiving her arms for the bus to stop.... but it was going too fast. It was in the 90's that day, and she was clearly flustered about missing the bus. I did the taboo thing to do. I offered her a ride.

People will tell you that this is always a bad idea. I agree that it is normally risky.... but not ALWAYS a bad idea. The woman ended up only needing to get to a grocery store a mile or two away. She was a dear, and said that the car ride was a blessing. Sweet, right?

There was no mask being pulled off to reveal a serial killer, no weapons drawn, and no scam involved.

Now, I'm not saying to go start picking up strangers. Rather, be conscience of what's happening around you... you may feel like there is something you can do to put a positive spin on your surroundings.

My grandmother was in line at the grocery store a few weeks ago, and the woman standing in line ahead of her paid for her groceries, and then gave the clerk an extra $20 to go towards my grandmother's bill! Grandma was confused. Her first thought was, "Do I LOOK like I need help?!". The woman told her that she hadn't done a kind deed yet that day, and she thought she would pick my grandma as her "kind deed".

Instead of feeling guilty, my grandma found inspiration in this concept, and is planning on paying $20 to some one behind her in line.... when the opportunity presents itself.

Whenever Stacy bought my mom an angel, she bought one for my mom's best friend as well.

A low cost, EXCELLENT way of doing something nice? www.volunteermatch.org

Whether you have time, talents, or books to donate; volunteering is compatible for just about everyone.

Also, look at your talents and interests.

If you love children, volunteer at a children's hospital. If you are a natural sales person, there are surely some fund raiser's in your area. If you are athletic... well, it might be a little late for preparing to run a marathon; but you can initiate a winter-sports-a-thon!

Regardless of the hours your work, or the money you have available... good deeds can work around any obstacle! You just need to look for the niche that fits you and your life style best.

If this doesn't make you smile.....

I have such a great story to tell you! The day after I sent out my e-mail inviting you to participate with this project, I went into New York City, and met up with my aunt and her 2 girlfriends. We walked miles around Chinatown, Little Italy, and lower Manhattan. We had no agenda but to enjoy the weather and each other's company. We wandered down streets I had never been... and to the cobblestone roads of the charming South Street Seaport area. One of my fellow travelers noticed a storefront that opened in the back to a courtyard.

We walked through the dim room to the soft afternoon light of the courtyard. The air had just a touch of Fall, and it was so peaceful. To our right, there were large windows showing the back room of a dress shop where tailors and designers were collaborating.

Around a corner to our left, was a bench with something on it. I found that it was a canvas turned over onto a note. I read the note first which stated, "This painting is yours if you promise to smile at random people more often".

I was flabbergasted.

I looked at the painting, and found a picture that you couldn't help but smile looking at it!

I was thrilled to see that the person who left this awesome gift, also left a website! www.bataclan.com

Please go and check out this man's mission. He started a project called the "Smile Boston Project" several years ago.... and has since left hundred's of paintings all over the world. If you go to his site, you can see pictures of his "drop-off" locations, recipients, and many articles in which his project has been featured.

How many people have smiled and laughed because of this man? How many dreary days have been made bright because of one of his paintings? He is just one man, and he has probably made a positive impact on thousands of people.

We can't all do what Mr. Bataclan does, but we can help. What if we all smiled at random people more often?

Good deed- 1 Anonymonity- 0

I've been contemplating posting this specific blog entry. I'm a bit like my sister in the sense that I love doing nice things, but I don't always want the attention. I prefer not to have my personal being take away from the inspiration of a good deed, or the happiness of a deserving person.

I know if Stacy were alive, she would want all of her blog posts anonymous. I feel the same way... and I also feel like the message I'm trying to convey would be losing something if I was completely anonymous for the below story.

In the future, I will try and keep entries as anonymous as possible.

With that said, I have to tell you of the most rewarding feeling I've had the opportunity to experience. A friend referred me to a website called "AdoptaPlatoon.org" a while back. The site gives you several ways to support soldiers overseas. You can participate in a one-time support, write, or adopt. My boyfriend, Dilip, and I chose to adopt. We write a weekly letter, and send a monthly care package to our soldier (stationed in Iraq).

Soldiers need some of the most basic supplies; sunblock, bug spray, support from home, and in some cases, a pillow. There are plenty of suggestions, and even the Post Office helps by supplying flat rate boxes; which costs only $10.95 to ship (REGARDLESS OF THE WEIGHT)!

There is an excitement of witnessing the reaction of doing something nice for someone. Doing something nice is always fun, but seeing that other person happy is a memory you hold onto. With AdoptaPlatoon, that isn't a possibility. It'll take weeks before your letters and packages arrive. Not to mention, there's a chance your soldier is unable to, or prefers not to, write back.

And yet, there is such satisfaction in my heart.

Regardless of your opinion of the war, I ask you to consider what you can do to show your appreciation of our troops. I promise you, you'll not only feel wonderful, but you would have made some invisible person overseas feel acknowledged and loved.

The Power of Kindness

Many people who know me, know this story.

Nearly a year ago today, I was feeling very sad. I was in a rut, and couldn't seem to climb out of it. One day, I received the "Willow Tree" Angel of Caring. It was beautiful and made me smile and feel warm... yet there was no note. The postmark lead me to believe that it was from my sister, mother, or grandmother. But they all claimed they had no idea where it came from. The next week I received the "Willow Tree" Angel of Happiness. Again, they all claimed some one else must have sent it. Only a few days after receiving the 2nd angel, my sister Stacy died of a seizure. When I came home the next day, my brother-in-law gave me several more angels that Stacy had bought to send me anonymously. The last was called the "Comfort Box". She had started to draft a letter to put in the box, stating that she was an anonymous person who I had once been kind to. She said she thought of me when she saw the angels, and wanted to return the kindness. She signed it "Receiver of a Smile". My sister loved to practice Random Acts of Kindness, and this one was her last.

Receiving the first 2 angels made my day... for a few days! But when my brother-in-law handed me the 6 additional angels... I was stunned. I cannot describe how powerful those moments were for me. None of us could have realized the impact those little angels would have when Stacy first started to send them.

I think too, that people in general don't always know when a seemingly small act of kindness will mean the world to someone else.

It's not just for the birds....

As I contemplated the idea of this blog I was eating a sandwich at an outdoor cafe. I had a few pieces of crust left, which gave me the idea to go back and buy a bread roll to take to the Hudson River bank. I found a bench with several sparrows nearby and started to toss them bread crumbs.

I hadn't done something like this for years, and I don't know why. This simple act accomplished such a wonderful feeling! In the past, when I've wanted to help animals I've volunteered with local dog rescue services (fostering them or transporting dogs to adoption events and vets), or brought supplies to animal shelters.

Helping animals can be something small, long term, or perhaps silly in some cases; but always welcomed. And as an animal lover myself, I will also welcome any "Random Acts of Kindness" provided to animals.

The Start

It felt so obvious, the idea for this blog. Like it had been looking me straight in the face for months, yet I was unable to see it. It came to me this morning. The anniversary of my sister's death is next month, and I don't want to spend the day thinking how she left us too early. Rather, I want to celebrate her life, and invite others to do the same.

I decided to e-mail friends and family in a few weeks and invite everyone to join me in practicing one of Stacy's most favorite things... Random Acts of Kindness. More specifically, to practice them on September 26, the anniversary of her death.

I'd then ask everyone to e-mail me what they had done, and I could compile all of the stories and e-mail them back out.

It didn't sound right to limit this to only those in my address book, or to one day.

I still plan on sending that e-mail.... but now, I want to share our stories with everyone and not for just one day, but as long as we continue to practice Random (and Nonrandom) Acts of Kindness.

I guess Wikipedia's definition of "Random Acts of Kindness" could be a good place to start:

A random act of kindness is a purportedly selfless act performed by a person or persons wishing to either assist or cheer up an individual or in some cases even an animal. There will generally be no reason other than to make people smile, or be happier. Either spontaneous or planned in advance, random acts of kindness are encouraged by various communities. An oft-cited example of a random act of kindness is, when paying the toll at a toll booth on a highway, to pay the toll for the vehicle behind you as well.