Act of Kindness – Week #20!!

“Life is an exciting business, and it is most exciting when it is lived for others.” Helen Keller

   A couple weeks ago, I was driving home after an emotionally exhausting day and looked into my rear view mirror to see police lights right behind me. The day had finally come…after almost 11 years of driving, I got pulled over for the first time for speeding. Yes, I cried (it did not take much to get the tears flowing after an emotionally hard day), and I had to ask the police officer to repeat what documents he needed because I had never been pulled over before. To my surprise, the police officer congratulated me for almost getting to 27 years old with not being pulled over. I am very thankful for a nice police officer and that my first experience of being pulled over for speeding ended with only getting a warning!

   Fast forward a couple weeks to another driving incident! I came up to a stop light and there were construction guys directing traffic. I waited a good five minutes and when the construction guy still did not motion for me to go…I looked to my right and saw no reason why I was just sitting there so I started to turn and the construction guy’s arms went flying all over the place, and he yelled at me pretty good too. I stopped, mouthed the words “I’m sorry” and waited for about another five minutes until he motioned me to finally go. Now during this time of waiting, my Mom made a comment that I sometimes am impatient when driving, and I must get that from my Dad. It was just one of those days when I wanted to get home. I admit though, I should have been more patient!

  The below picture does not really relate to either of these two stories about driving, but I sure thought it was funny since it is so true!! 

   These two driving experiences in the past couple weeks have helped me think of the next intentional act of kindness!! 

*The act of kindness this week...show kindness by being an intentional courteous driver!!

*My experience with the act of kindness….This past week I have tried my best to be an intentional courteous driver! When another car and I stop about the same time at a stop sign, I motion for them to go first while I wait. When someone else has shown kindness to me by being a courteous driver, I give a big “thank you” wave back! I have also waved at other people passing by in their car or walking in front of my car. Most of them smile and wave back but some of them give me a puzzled look because I think they were trying to figure out if they knew me or not. And finally, I have started to randomly pick a car coming the other direction on the road, look at the person for a quick moment as they pass me and then pray for them while I continue to drive! Showing kindness to strangers while driving makes driving long distances more enjoyable! Another big tip about making showing kindness while driving easier is to leave a little earlier than normal, this way you are not in a hurry to get somewhere and you have some time to show kindness to other drivers and notice them more!!

   I also came across the above quote this week. I pictured someone driving down a road and getting to the end of it. They have to choose either to turn left or right...they have to choose which direction their life will take. Let's choose the direction that includes intentionally showing kindness!!

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

Act of Kindness – Week #19!!

“…It is more blessed to give than to receive!” Acts 20:35

      October 18^th, 2014 was a beautiful start to the 27^th year of my life! I have always really liked my birthday and still get excited about it like a little kid! (I pray that I can celebrate each birthday with a smile on my face because it is a blessing to start another year of life! I do not want to ever complain about turning a certain age because some people are not given a long life.) My Husband and family are awesome about celebrating my birthday each year with me also! My birthday was on a Saturday this year (won’t be on a Saturday again until 2025) so I did not take off work like I usually do. The other great thing about a Saturday birthday is that the other people in your family are typically not in school or at work…so I am happy to say that my birthday ended up being basically a whole day celebration! I chose lunch at Josephine’s Tea Room, explored and walked around Fort Belle Fontaine in Missouri, Mom made one of my favorite’s for dinner (chili), enjoyed a fire pit in the backyard and then of course had ice cream cake and presents! I really enjoyed the day full of time with my Husband, immediate family and puppy dog!

 

      

    Let me add some side notes quickly and then bring it back to this current blog post!...When I first started thinking of and doing a new intentional act of kindness each week and then blogging about it to encourage other people to do the same, I got asked by several people how I came up with the idea or what lead me to starting this “Let Love Overflow” blog. There were many reasons (see the first two blog posts from April 2014 if you are interested) but one of the main reasons was because I was noticing more and more that it is so easy to be focused on only your day and your schedule and barely notice, if notice at all, the people who you come into contact with each day. Now in my opinion, it is totally fine for a special day or special event to be centered on the person or the people an event is honoring! It is great for a wedding day to be all about the bride and groom, a baby shower to be all about the mommy-to-be and a birthday to be all about the birthday boy or girl! With truly believing that though, my 27^th birthday was maybe one of my best birthdays yet because I intentionally took action on my special day to show kindness to two complete strangers!

*The act of kindness this week…show kindness by paying for a stranger’s meal at a restaurant!!

*My experience with the act of kindness….The Act of Kindness – Week # 5 was paying for the car’s order behind you in a drive thru, but I wanted to pay for a stranger’s meal at an actual sit down and order restaurant! My birthday was a great day to do so for the first time! I also recently have purchased a personalized stamp (thank you, Mary!) that stamps “Acts of Kindness”! I made a card like the picture below the morning of my birthday in anticipation for this new intentional act of kindness!

     My Husband, Dad, Mom and I then went to have lunch at Josephine’s Tea Room to start off my birthday! It was a very full restaurant, and I am thankful we were seated towards the back because I was able to quickly glance around to find a table who already had their food! I noticed two ladies eating at a table for two alongside the wall and decided they were the ones! After our waitress took our drink order, I handed her the homemade card and my credit card and filled her in on what I wanted to do. She helped find the correct waitress for the table I described and it all went smoothly! I was asked if I knew the ladies and when I responded “no”, I could tell it took our waitress a little by surprise. I explained a little to her about how I just want to show kindness!

     Later on, I met the waitress for the ladies’ table since I had to sign the credit card slip. She shared some with me about how showing kindness does not just have an effect on the person who is receiving it but the person who is giving it too! I could not agree more! And lastly, a met a third waitress during my meal because she was asking if I had more of the homemade cards since only one of the ladies could take the card home that I made. I have learned my lesson...next time I will make several homemade cards just in case!

     It is my prayer  that my homemade note and paying for the ladies’ meals showed kindness and love and that the three waitresses that I talked too also are now encouraged to show kindness and love to the people they come into contact with at the restaurant and to strangers anywhere they go as well!!

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

Act of Kindness – Week #18!!

“Real generosity is doing something nice for someone who will never find out!”

   Hello and happy October (my favorite month of the year)! It was been a couple weeks since I have updated my blog with a new act of kindness idea and encouraged you all to show kindness in the same way! The reason my down time has been more occupied is because I have started a side business of photography! Capturing special moments and memories on camera has been one of my favorite things ever since I owned a camera and now I get to share it with others! I am thankful that I can share the gifts and talents God has given me and it is my hope that down the road doors will open for me to be able to also do photography as a service project for organizations or mission trips etc!

   The past couple weeks, I have not shared a new act of kindness through this blog but that does not mean that I have not been showing God’s love and kindness to the people I know and to strangers that I have come into contact with! It has been fun to do several of the acts of kindness again that I have done and written about on here since May! This has also made me realize that maybe we could all use a recap of the past acts of kindness SO next month I will blog listing the first 20 acts of kindness and a little about each! It is my prayer that love and kindness becomes contagious and keeps spreading, spreading and spreading!!

*The act of kindness this week…show kindness by pushing a grocery chart inside to use during shopping inside of using a grocery chart that is already inside the store!!

   Your first thought when reading the act of kindness for the week might be…“but it is someone’s job, who is getting paid, to push the grocery carts back into the store!” If that entered your mind let me first tell you that you are not alone. I had that very same thought but then realized that we do not purposely leave messes at work for a janitor to clean up because “that is his/her job” etc so if we do not purposely do something to give someone more work why can’t we intentionally do something to help somoene have less work and show kindness at the same time?!

*My experience with the act of kindness…My wonderful husband, Blake, whom I have been so blessed to be married to for almost 3.5 years now helped me come up with this new intentional act of kindness! One of the great things about it is that he did not even realize he was doing it! Blake and I went grocery shopping together one afternoon  and as we were walking into the store, he grabbed a cart from the cart holder and strolled it right into the store like it was something he was in the habit of doing! I usually do the grocery shopping but there have been several times we have gone together during our marriage and this was the first time I saw Blake do this! This was the first time, I believe, that I have seen anyone do this!! 

   I am sure we have all noticed before (or you will now) when the grocery carts have not been brought into the store recently and they are piled up in the cart holder like the above picture. How about being intentional to show kindness to some one that will never find out? What if several people who walked into the store picked a grocery cart from the cart holder?...that would surely make the really cold Illinois Winter months a little nicer for the workers who have to push grocery carts inside! Let’s be intentional about doing something to help a stranger have less work and show kindness at the same time!!

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