Act of Kindness – Week #14!!

"For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them." Psalm 139:13-16

   Babies, babies, babies!! I am in the stage of life where so many of my family and friends are having babies and especially their first baby! A friend of mine had her first baby girl a little over a week ago, my cousin had her second baby girl last week, two cousins of mine will be having their first baby girls in the next couple months and a friend of mine (whose baby shower I just helped as hostess at this weekend- see picture below) is due in October with her first baby girl! Wow…that’s a lot of baby GIRLS! I hope women out there are also having some baby boys or we might be in trouble in about 18 years!!

   I think we can all remember a time when life has been a bit overwhelming and someone has said to you, “Let me know if there’s anything I can do ” or “Call me if you need anything”. What a wonderful thing to hear but it leaves you wondering if the person really would help with anything or if it is just something that people say. I am sure some people are really serious when they say those words but maybe we on the receiving end are too timid to take them up on the offer or wonder what “anything” consists of.

   When you say to someone “Let me know if there’s anything I can do” or “Call me if your need anything”…you are throwing the ball into the person’s court who is overwhelmed and since that person is so overwhelmed, do you seriously think they will think of contacting you? I would say probably not because that takes more action on their part. Prayer is the most important thing we can do, but let us also verbally and physically help as well! This leads to the new act of kindness for this week! Let us be intentional to contact the people in our lives who are overwhelmed! When we contact them, let us intentionally not just let them know we are here to honestly help but also suggest ways we can and want to help! There are several times in a person’s life this can relate too…a new baby, packing and moving to a new home, after a surgery, during or after an illness in the family, after a death in the family etc.  

*The act of kindness this week…show kindness to someone you know who has entered a new stage in life or is overwhelmed by communicating to them that you honestly want to be there for them and be specific in suggesting ways that you can help!!

   Since there are so many new babies and soon to be new babies around me…I chose to concentrate on ways to show love to a new mommy and daddy!!

 

*My experience with the act of kindness…Our friends, Ryan and Kacie, officially became parents to their beautiful baby girl, Mercy on August 15^th! Congratulations again!! Ryan and Kacie only live a couple blocks away from my Husband and I so we have helped pet sit several times for them over the past couple years. I volunteered us to help pet sit for free while they were in the hospital! After Kacie texted me the wonderful news that Mercy safely was born, I remaindered her that we were more than willing to pet sit, and they took us up on the offer while they were still in the hospital! My husband and I also wanted to do something for them when they arrived home. I texted Kacie to see if they were okay with us bringing them over dinner and dessert three nights after they returned from the hospital! It was a great way to meet baby Mercy and hold her while her Mommy and Daddy ate a homemade dinner ending with pink lemonade cookies! There seemed to be some left overs for them too! My Husband and I are continuing to pray for this new precious family of three also!!

 

   Maybe you live far away from new parents…once again, prayer is the most important but how about sending them a food gift card so that they can take a night off cooking and cleaning?!

Here are a couple more very helpful suggestions that I found on how to “love a new mom”:  http://semiproper.com/ways-to-help-a-new-mom/

“1) Be a helpline. If you want to help out a brand new mom and you’re a seasoned mom veteran, offer to let her call you at all hours of the night. I had Remmy only nine months before one of my friends had her baby, but I promised to keep my cell phone on my nightstand just in case she had any 3am freakouts and had a baby question. She probably only took me up on my offer a couple of times, but I was another line of defense (or reassurance) for her when the wee hours of the morning seem so lonely.

2) Round up some healthy meals. New moms are generally exhausted and wake up with that fresh I-just-got-ran-over-by-an-Isuzu-Rodeo feeling. While rich, comforting food DOES sound amazing, it will do nothing for her energy levels. Coordinating with a couple friends and taking turns doing something simple like cutting up a bunch of fresh fruit or mixing up granola and delivering it for breakfast is easy and will make this new mom forever grateful. Cause, you know, it’s easier for a new mom to throw a Pop Tart in the toaster oven than it is to attack a whole pineapple with a machete.

3) Kidnap her kiddies. Uh.  Not the new one. The other one(s), if she’s got them. And get them out of the dang house. Give Mom a morning where it’s just her and the new baby, and give the kiddies a morning where they can run around somewhere else and not have to patiently wait through yet another breastfeeding or diaper session. YOU WILL MAKE THE WHOLE FAMILY HAPPY. 

4) Clean, if you’re close. If you’re close pals, like…you’ve seen the state of each other’s kitchens after a weekend the stomach bug hit the house… then yes, offer to help clean. “I’m coming over to clean your bathroom” or “I’m coming over to clean out your fridge” or “I’m coming over to wash, dry, fold, and put away an entire load of laundry for you” are all totally wonderful things to say to a friend. But if you’re not super close, spare her that offer. She’ll end up stressing out and trying to clean BEFORE you get there.

5) Or, send someone to clean. Find a reputable professional cleaning service and pay for a one-time cleaning.

6) Run a couple of errands. Return those baby gifts to the store, bring back the library books, drop off the Redbox rental, fill up her gas tank.  Teeny things that may seem overwhelming to a new mom.

7) Rock that screaming baby. Sometimes she needs a break from her sweet newborn, especially if her newborn seems to be prone to crying jags. After the baby is fed, have her take off her shirt and throw it over your shoulder (her scent comforts baby). Send her into the shower (where she can’t hear and get some much-needed alone time) while you rock the baby for her.

8) Want to help but you’re far away or have your own crew to take care of? Sometimes I simply cannot make the time investment to help another mom, but I want to do something to show her I love her and appreciate her. When you can’t be there, how about: 1) sending her a gift card to a restaurant in her area so she can order take-out, 2) buying a couple of healthy and tasty snacks/drinks online and having them sent to her house, 3) sending a pack of diapers to her house. When she texts you to say thank you, respond with: Don’t you dare send me a thank you card. You’ve got enough junk to do. 

9) Help her get out of the house. Moms (and their kids) can get cabin fever, but the thought of leaving the house seems daunting. Pick a morning and tell her you’ll meet her at her home to help her pack up the kid(s). Something as simple as being an extra set of hands while she pushes around a stroller at Target can do wonders for her.

10) Sleep on her couch.  This one helps out Dad, too. Tell her you’ll swing by around 8:00pm and stay til midnight. Once she gets the baby down, send the parents to bed and tell them to sleep. You hang out on their couch, eat Cheetos, fold laundry, etc.  When the baby cries, give her a bottle (or gently wake your pal up for a nursing session). Let Mom go back to bed while you change the diaper and hang out with the baby or rock her back to sleep. The parents get a solid four hours of sleep and maybe a clean living room, and you get all the Cheetos you want.”

   In conclusion, let us be honest when we speak and not just say words that you think people want to hear. Let us be intentional about helping the people we know are in a new stage of life or are in an overwhelming situation by continuing to express to them we are here for them and also by offering specifics on how we can help! Please do not stop there…put your words and suggestions into action!!

p.s. Please comment below with your own experience with this act of kindness or other suggestions! I would really enjoy hearing about it!!

Act of Kindness – Week #13!!

“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’” Fred Rogers

   My heart just breaks as I continue to hear and see what is happening in Ferguson, Missouri which is not far away from where I call home. For the past week and a half, there have been so many devastating pictures and videos and very discouraging news reports on what is happening in the Ferguson area. This is not only on the local news but also the news across the country and all over social media as well.

   I understand that the news station’s jobs are to give people the most up to date information in the fastest way possible. However, I do have to admit that hearing sad and tragic things on the news over and over just makes me want to not stay caught up on what is going on. The words to the Billy Gilman song “One Voice” come to my mind, “…and mom won't watch the news at night there's too much stuff (that's) making her cry.”

   One thing I do wish was more integrated in news updates today whether it is on the television, on online reports or being shared on social media is the GOOD that is going on amid the sad. I believe that people should get informed on what is going on (which could really discourage them) and also hear about the positives going on (which could leave them encouraged).

   Below are articles that I have found on different websites of people showing kindness to help out others and their community in Ferguson, Missouri!  I was very happy and thankful to find these articles after searching many different words and phrases online.

8/12/14- “Ferguson youth volunteering to help clean-up after looting”:

http://fox2now.com/2014/08/12/volunteers-sending-a-positive-message-by-cleaning-up-ferguson/

8/13/14- “Volunteers came together to clean up the mess left after riots in Ferguson, Missouri trashed a neighborhood”:

http://www.ksdk.com/media/cinematic/video/14033195/ferguson-community-tries-to-clean-up-tarnished-image/

8/16/2014- “Volunteers help the owners of Sam's Meat Market clean up after their business was looted during another night of rioting following protests…”

http://www.ksdk.com/picture-gallery/news/local/2014/08/16/business-owners-clean-up-looting-mess/14164925/

8/17/14- “First Baptist Church hosts prayer service for Ferguson community…‘In times like these, we need to pray,’ First Baptist Church Senior Pastor Dray Bland said during the service”:

http://www.thetimesnews.com/news/top-news/first-baptist-church-hosts-prayer-service-for-ferguson-community-1.360270

8/18/14- “Inspiring images of volunteers cleaning up after violence in Ferguson”:

http://www.buzzfeed.com/tasneemnashrulla/inspiring-images-of-volunteers-cleaning-up-after-violence-in

8/19/14- “Amid the chaos, however, there have also been inspiring scenes of kindness and generosity. Here are some of the ways people are helping each other in Ferguson:” (listen to the pastor speak at the end of the video…“The community needs prayer most of all…”) *This article does contain some curse words.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/08/19/ferguson-good-news_n_5689027.html?utm_hp_ref=black-voices&ir=Black+Voices

8/19/14- “There is a growing movement tonight to help the officers pulling long hours in Ferguson”

http://www.ksdk.com/story/news/local/2014/08/19/effort-grows-police-officers-ferguson/14305207/

*The act of kindness…show kindness by helping a community during/after a devastating situation. If you live away: pray, intentionally find the helpers and share the good being done to uplift and encourage other people!!

   It is so great to see people in the Ferguson community and neighboring cities coming together to meet needs. The greatest need and most important thing right now is prayer! I am continuing to join in prayer with so many people whose hearts are breaking over the events in Ferguson. I am confident that God has and will continue to work through the brokenhearted!

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything in prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7

   We all need to hear more about the good, about the helpers and about the acts of kindness! How could it not leave us with more hope, a better attitude and wanting to help as well? These articles might not be easy to find. Writers may not feel writing on such things are top priority or maybe those who help could be helping more privately. Whatever the reason is, let’s intentionally try to find and share news articles about the good or just write one ourselves!

   Look for the helpers! They are always there showing kindness, uplifting others and encouraging us to do the same!

Please share in the comments below if you hear of other ways that people are helping in Ferguson or ways that we here on the Illinois side of the river can specifically help as well!!

Act of Kindness – Week #12!!

“A kind deed brightens a dark world!”

   I had the pleasure of visiting family in Indiana this past weekend! My Uncle, Aunt and cousins live near Lake Michigan so my family and I enjoyed a pretty Saturday afternoon at the beach! It was also my 9 week old cousin Hunterlynn’s first time to the beach! I am praising the Lord that she is healthy and home after two weeks in the hospital with meningitis! She is just so adorable!!

   I once again thought a head of time about a new intentional act of kindness that I could carry out in the coming weekend. I will admit that I have been out of town quite a bit this summer, and it is getting harder to think of new ways to show kindness while out of town…but a little challenge did not stop me!

*The act of kindness this week…show kindness to a stranger by leaving an uplifting note in the Bible in a hotel room as you check out and leave a hotel!!  

   If you ever wondered who placed the Holy Bible in a hotel room, your answer is: The Gideons International!  Hotels are one of the key locations where The Gideons International place God’s word. Below is some information about The Gideons International that I found on their website (www.gideons.org):

    1) “The Gideons International, founded in 1899, serves as an extended missionary arm of the church and is the oldest association of Christian businessmen and professional men in the United States of America.”

    2) “Effective Witnesses in Hotels—In view of the fact that almost all of the Gideons in the early years of the association were traveling men, the question quite naturally arose regarding how they might be more effective witnesses in the hotels where they spent so much of their time. One trustee went so far as to suggest that The Gideons furnish a Bible for each bedroom of the hotels in the United States. He commented, “In my opinion, this would not only stimulate the activities of the rank and file of the membership, but would be a gracious act, wholly in keeping with the divine mission of the Gideon Association.” This plan, which they called “The Bible Project” was adopted at Louisville, Kentucky, in 1908.”

    3) “Having God's Word can and does lead people to faith in Christ, and those new Christians then grow by studying their Scriptures and even use them to share their faith with others. For this reason, we focus on distributing complete Bibles, New Testaments, or portions thereof. These copies of God's Word are printed in more than 90 languages and are either given directly to certain individuals or placed in selected public locations where large numbers of people, who may be searching for answers, will have the ability to encounter the Word of God.”

    4) “A Worldwide Effort—It's been just over 100 years since The Gideons International placed the first Bible in a hotel room in Montana. Today, Gideons are organized in more than 190 countries around the globe. Bibles and New Testaments are printed for distribution by The Gideons International in more than 90 languages. Through God's grace and to His Glory, more than 1.9 billion Bibles and New Testaments have been placed through our association, and the work continues.”

*My experience with the act of kindness… I stayed at a hotel this past weekend with my parents and on the way out the door to check out and leave; we left a note in the front of the Bible for whoever opened it next. The note read, “May God’s word guide you with His comfort, peace and direction!...2 Corinthians 1:3-5”. I also added another blank piece of paper in the Bible marking where the Bible verse was. 2 Corinthians 1:3-5 talks about God being the source of our comfort through all our troubles!

   After doing some research online, I am aware that some people leave negative and mean notes in the Bibles in hotel rooms. I am also aware that a lot people who stay in a hotel probably do not look at the Bible in the room. While reading through several posts though, I also found the following comment from a hotel manager that was very encouraging to me, “People expect to find the bible in the nightstand. Often, if there isn’t one, even the least religious of people notice and call for a replacement. I’ve even had people call the desk at 2 AM saying, “I didn’t think it would bother me, but can you send up a bible? I can’t sleep.”

   This intentional act of kindness takes very little time and effort on your part and is once again left for a stranger to find. You will never know who opened the Bible next and found your note. You will also never know what the person was going through at that time and the possible impact it had on their life! How about praying for whoever finds the note too! Let’s continue to intentionally show kindness and God’s love to strangers and the people around us in our everyday life in small and simple ways that could bring big and life changing results!!

p.s. Please comment below with your own experience with this act of kindness! I would really enjoy hearing about it!!

Act of Kindness – Week #11!!

"A person who is nice to you but is not nice to the waiter is not a nice person" (I laughed when I read this but there is some truth in this quote!)

     Fall is my absolute favorite season and football is a part of that! I am ready for some relaxing Sunday afternoon football! I am also still a big Kurt Warner fan even though he has not played professional football for a while! I probably proudly always will be too! I read the book “First Things First: The Rules of Being a Warner” by Kurt and Brenda Warner a couple years ago and several things about their family that was written in the book still stand out to me! The book lists the “Eight Rules for Being a Warner Daughter or Son” and here they are:

1. Everyone has to agree on which strangers’ meal to pay for when dining at a restaurant.

2. At dinner, share the favorite part of your day.

3. Hold hands and pray before every meal.

4. After ordering at a restaurant, be able to tell Mom the server’s eye color.

5. Throw away your trash at the movie theater and stack plates for the server at restaurants.

6. Spend one hour at an art museum when on the road.

7. Hold hands with a sibling for 10 minutes if you can’t get along.

8. If you can’t get along holding hands, sit cheek to cheek. (If you can’t get along cheek to cheek, then it’s lips to lips!)

     I started doing a lot of these rules myself after reading the book, but I slowly started to forget about some of them over the past couple years. I am happy to say that when thinking about what intentional new act of kindness I wanted to participate in this weekend, the book and this certain list came to mind again! If you do not already know, there are nine people in the Warner family so it makes a big difference when they follow rule #5 to “throw away your trash at the movie theater and stack plates for the server at restaurants”!

*The act of kindness this week…show kindness to a server at a restaurant by putting your plates and trash etc. in one neat pile on the table after you finish eating!!

 

*My experience with the act of kindness…My Husband and I enjoyed a lunch date this past Saturday at Crown Candy Kitchen in St. Louis, Missouri! We ate at Crown Candy Kitchen for the first time last year and upon arriving, the line to wait for a table was out the door and around the corner. This past weekend, my Husband and I tried to beat the lunch and dinner rush and go at what we thought was an in between time.  We still waited in line for an hour for a table but it was a pretty day outside, and I was talking with my love…so no complaints here! Crown Candy Kitchen sure is a popular place and that is probably why they have been in business since 1913!

     The employees at Crown Candy Kitchen seemed to be working very hard from the time we entered the restaurant to the time we left. My Husband and I commented that the servers probably go very quickly from table to table with little or no down time in between. Even though the restaurant was very busy, our server was very nice and did not show if she was overwhelmed or stressed out etc.

     My Husband ordered and ate all of the famous “Heart-stopping BLT” which is pictured below and an ice cream cone! I ordered a side salad and the “Turkey Bacon Melt” which I ate half of later for dinner! I dipped my “Turkey Bacon Melt” in a side of French dressing too! It was excellent! Am I making anyone hungry?!...just typing these past few sentences have made me hungry! Needless to say, we had several empty cups and plates on our table with quite a few used napkins by the time we were done! I kindly stacked our plates first, then my salad bowl and then the silverware, napkins and other trash on top. I also stacked our cups. I used one more napkin to wipe off the table! When we left, our server only had to pick up the plate pile and stacked cups! Think for a minute if you were her and you walked up to a table like that or a table with everything still all over the place! Far too often, servers are left to clean up unnecessary messes and sadly especially from those who think the term “server” is the same as “servant”.

     There are several ways to show kindness to a server at a restaurant…politeness, calling a server by their name when addressing them, holding a conversation that is deeper than just your food and drink order, cleaning up after yourself and tipping!

     I have left a restaurant far too many times with a mess for my server to clean up. To the server, this probably only showed thanklessness on my part when indeed that could have been the opposite of how I felt when leaving a restaurant. Let’s be intentional about expressing in actions that we are thankful even when we go out to eat at a restaurant! One simple way to start and to show kindness at the same time is by stacking our plates, silver wear, cups, trash etc when we are finished at a restaurant! I can almost guarantee the server will notice the difference at your table!! 

p.s. Please comment below with your own experience with this act of kindness! I would really enjoy hearing about it!!