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.