Act of Kindness – Week #28!!

“I truly believe that the little things can make life so much more beautiful!”

   My two year phone contract is almost up which means next month I will be getting a new phone! Yeah! I always get excited to upgrade my phone and learn the new features etc! Now that I have had a smart phone for the past couple years, I cannot imagine going back because of all that it is able to do and that I use it for!

   However, my biggest problem with cell phones, especially smart phones, is that they make it too convenient to communicate with people in a way that you will never hear their voice.  Do not get me wrong, texting is one of my favorite things because it is so quick, convenient and can put an instant smile on someone’s face. Access to my email and Facebook are also a wonderful feature on my phone since it allows me to access my social life anywhere I go!

   I want to encourage us all, though, to not get wrapped up in a culture that is communicating more and more only through electronics. The picture below helps explain this.

*The act of kindness this week…show kindness by calling and talking to someone who you have not talked to in a while!!

*My experience with the act of kindness…This week, I called a family friend that I have not spoken to in a while! It was great to catch up real quick, and she mentioned a couple times how nice it was to hear from me! I am really glad I made the call! 

  I have always enjoyed talking on the phone and catching up with loved ones! I am not saying that I have this all down perfectly though. I know I still need to work on this too! There are several people that I want to start calling or call more often! My act of kindness blogs are just as much an encouragement to you all as they are to me!

   If you do not like to talk on the phone, which is understandable, but please consider making a quick phone call to your Mom/Dad/Brother/Sister/Grandparent/Cousin/Friend and simply say, “I love you” or “I miss you!” There is just something more personable and special about hearing a loved one’s voice! I guarantee it will make their day, and maybe their week!

   God has blessed many of us with a voice! Let us intentionally show kindness to someone in our life by verbal communication!

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 #27!!

“Remember there is no such thing as a small act of kindness. Every act creates a ripple with no logical end.”

   When I was growing up in the 90's, I remember having handwriting and cursive classes in school! We also learned how to write, address and send letters through the mail. I did not have my first typing class until 6^th grade. I hear now that grade schools do not have handwriting classes any longer and even have each student take a laptop home each night to do their homework. It is a good thing for schools to be trying to get away from using so much paper…but how times have surely changed just in the short 27 years of my life!

   The United States Post Office seems to be getting less and less business as my generation gets older and younger generations emerge. It is most likely because people are starting to prefer to communicate through social media, email or by sending e-cards. It might just be rumors, but I have heard that the post office could start being closed on Saturdays or even eventually close altogether. That is sad! I am a fan of the post office and snail mail! I like to send cards in the mail for birthdays and special occasions, and I send a majority of my annual Christmas cards out through the post office each December. With all that being said, there are always stamps at our home ready to be used!

*The act of kindness this week…show kindness by intentionally leaving stamps at the post office for other people to find and use!!

*My experience with the act of kindness…I used my “Acts of Kindness” stamp, wrote out a little note and took some stamps to work with me one day. After work, I intentionally went to the post office to partake in this act of kindness! The post office was already closed for the day, but people are still able to go inside to use the postage machine or drop their mail in a slot to be mailed out the next morning. I left the three items on the table in the post office that is designated for addressing envelopes!

   It is enjoyable and rewarding when we see someone’s reaction when we show love and kindness to them! It is also exciting, though, to show kindness to strangers whom we will never meet and will not see their reaction to an act of kindness! I hope that this act of kindness brightened someone’s day at the post office and that they passed on kindness as well!!

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 #26!!

“Love and kindness are never wasted. They always make a difference!”

  My last three blog entries shared new ideas for acts of kindness that involved spending some money. It is a great to spend money helping other people, but showing kindness does not always involve money! I have written several blog posts already with act of kindness ideas that are completely free but could be life changing to the people you intentionally show love and kindness too! This week’s act of kindness will only involve your time and intentional actions…no money!

  January is a very full month for my accounting department and I at work! I am a senior accountant and in January I am working on December month end, year end and preparing for auditors. A couple years ago, we had a change in employees which resulted in me having to do two people’s jobs in our department during the month of January…I am very thankful for my co-workers help during our “busy season” this year!   

  I assume that a lot of people’s jobs, like mine, have days or months that are more hectic than others. I also assume that a lot people are very thankful when other people help, especially during those more hectic days! What if during our normal weekly shopping trips, we could do little acts of kindness while in a store that would help the workers and make their day a little easier?!

*The act of kindness this week…show kindness in a store by putting items back in their proper spot or re-stacking items that are messed up etc!!

*My experience with the act of kindness…There were a couple different ways in the past couple weeks that I intentionally showed kindness while in a store! Let me give you two examples! A couple weeks ago I was clothes shopping and only a couple items worked after trying them on in the dressing room. Most people take the time to re-hang the clothes on the hangers, carry them out to the front of the dressing rooms and put the clothes on a rack. This is great but then someone still has to put all the clothes back in the proper spot. To intentionally show kindness, I took it all a step further. I carried the clothes back out into the women’s department and placed them back on the original rack. After all, where I got the clothes from was still fresh in my mind and most likely the worker might have had to spend a little time figuring out where each piece of clothing went.

  Another example of intentionally carrying out this act of kindness was when I was recently grocery shopping, and I had picked up an item early in my shopping. When I got towards the end of the store though, I found a better item. Instead of taking the original item out of my cart and placing it randomly somewhere in the store, I walked back to the original spot in the grocery store and placed the item back! No one had to “clean up” after me this way!

  Another way that I have thought about is when you are shopping at the mall and looking for the right size through shirts that are folded and laying on a table, make sure to refold them and nicely stack the pile once you are done. I have seen several employees over the years fold a pile of shirts and the next minute someone messes them up and then the employee is right back to folding the same pile. 

Intentional acts of kindness that are completely free can make a difference in someone’s life!!

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 #25!!

A new year...start it out with intentionally showing kindness!

  Happy 2015, may it be a blessed one for all! My week of Christmas and New Years was spent with family at home, family up north and family down south! It was a lot of traveling but full of such good times! Family time is one of my favorite things about holidays!

  In my last blog post, I added a “p.s.” that informed you to look for discounted Christmas cards when after Christmas shopping! Did you do so?! Read below to see how greeting cards of any occasion are part of the next intentional act of kindness!

*The act of kindness this week...show kindness by finding unused or lightly used items in your home (or purchased at a low price) that can be donated to an organization to help other people!!

  I accidentally found the “St. Jude’s Ranch for Children” website while looking for ways I could donate to St. Jude’s Hospital, and I am so happy I did! Here is a little about the organization (find more out at https://stjudesranch.org/):

“For more than 45 years, St. Jude’s Ranch for Children has provided a safe, nurturing home and therapeutic residential treatment services to thousands of children in Nevada and Texas. St. Jude’s Ranch is making a difference by creating new lives with new hope for abused, abandoned and neglected children...” Their mission statement is, “Transforming the lives of abused and at-risk children, young adults and families by empowering them to create new chances, new choices and new hope in a caring community.”

St. Jude’s Ranch for Children does a “Recycled Card Program”: “One of the most successful fundraisers at St. Jude’s Ranch is the recycled greeting card program. People from all over the United States send us their used greeting cards so they can be repurposed and resold. The kids on the Ranch run the program, and they earn an income from the cards they resell. This process of following through with a project gives them a sense of accomplishment and also establishes a solid work ethic.” https://stjudesranch.org/about-us/recycled-card-program/

*My experience with the act of kindness…I received a Walgreens gift card around Christmas. A couple days after Christmas, my Husband was leaving the house so I handed him the gift card and asked him to pick up some discounted Christmas cards! I was thankful for his help since I was busy packing for us to travel to Texas the next morning! I used these cards plus other occasion cards that were lying around the house that I had not used yet! The organization takes used cards as well, but I keep the cards I receive from other people! Below is a little information about donating cards to the program:

“To Donate Cards:

Year-round, we happily accept used all-occasion greeting cards. Please review the following tips before sending in your donation.

-Only the card front can be used (please check to be sure the backside of the front of the card is clear of any writing, etc.)

-We can not accept Hallmark, Disney or American Greeting cards

-5″ x 7″ size or smaller is preferred

-To mail large quantities in the least expensive way, use a USPS (United States Post Office) Flat Rate Box (available at your local Post Office), which holds up to 70 pounds

Mail donations to:
St. Jude’s Ranch for Children
Recycled Card Program
100 St. Jude’s Street
Boulder City, NV 89005”

  This intentional act of kindness is simple: buy/find cards, cut off the front of the card and mail them in! The awesome thing about it is you have no idea how many children you are helping by doing this!!

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 #24!!

“Christ Jesus is the reason for the season!”

 Why do we give gifts at Christmas time?

Let us first start with, “Who is St. Nicholas?” 

http://www.stnicholascenter.org/pages/who-is-st-nicholas/

     “The true story of Santa Claus begins with Nicholas, who was born during the third century in the village of Patara. At the time the area was Greek and is now on the southern coast of Turkey. His wealthy parents, who raised him to be a devout Christian, died in an epidemic while Nicholas was still young. Obeying Jesus' words to "sell what you own and give the money to the poor," Nicholas used his whole inheritance to assist the needy, the sick, and the suffering. He dedicated his life to serving God and was made Bishop of Myra while still a young man. Bishop Nicholas became known throughout the land for his generosity to those in need, his love for children, and his concern for sailors and ships. Through the centuries St. Nicholas has continued to be venerated by Catholics and Orthodox and honored by Protestants. By his example of generosity to those in need, especially children, St. Nicholas continues to be a model for the compassionate life. Widely celebrated in Europe, St. Nicholas' feast day, December 6th, kept alive the stories of his goodness and generosity. In Germany and Poland, boys dressed as bishops begged alms for the poor—and sometimes for themselves! In the Netherlands and Belgium, St. Nicholas arrived on a steamship from Spain to ride a white horse on his gift-giving rounds. December 6th is still the main day for gift giving and merrymaking in much of Europe. For example, in the Netherlands St. Nicholas is celebrated on the 5th, the eve of the day, by sharing candies (thrown in the door), chocolate initial letters, small gifts, and riddles. Dutch children leave carrots and hay in their shoes for the saint's horse, hoping St. Nicholas will exchange them for small gifts. Simple gift-giving in early Advent helps preserve a Christmas Day focus on the Christ Child.”

     As you have just read, St. Nicholas was very compassionate and giving. He surely did several intentional acts of kindness! The popular Santa Claus today began with St. Nicholas’ story. However, the real message of Christmas is not centered on the here and now Earthly material gifts! Gift giving at Christmas is to remind us of the greatest gift that God has given to us, His son Jesus Christ! The typical gift giving at Christmas is to those whom you love/care about, whom you see often or to someone who has given you a gift first. I do not think I know of someone who has given a gift to a person who has been talking behind their back or an angry neighbor etc. I bet it has happened though and that makes me happy because God gave us Jesus when we were His enemies. We did not and do not deserve God’s gift of Jesus (Romans 5:8). Jesus shows us so much about the giver! What love, sacrifice, mercy and grace from God!

  

*The act of kindness this week...show kindness by giving to someone who is not on your gift giving list to help spread the good news of the greatest gift we have ever received, Jesus!

  The gift does not need to be expensive, just something thoughtful and kind given to someone not expecting it! I am posting this blog kind of late in the Christmas season but what better day to give than on Christmas Eve or Christmas day?! There are several places that have to stay open on both days. 

*My experience with the act of kindness…The Christmas party at my church this year for the women was called “Christmas Cookie Exchange on a Mission”. Each lady brought three dozen cookies for a cookie exchange. The mission took place after you left the party by giving a bag of cookies and a card (shown in the collage above) to someone who you would not think about giving a gift too. Examples suggested were co-workers, neighbors, police officers, fire fighters, your hair dresser, your doctor or your mail carrier.  

  

     One of the people that I shared a bag of cookies and card with was my mail lady! I have been home several times when she has delivered our mail. Unfortunately my dog, Jack, likes to bark at her. If she sees me in the window calming him down, she always smiles and waves! I left her gift in the mailbox before work one morning, and it was gone when I returned home! A couple days later, my husband and I received a Christmas card from her thanking us for the goodies! It sure put a smile on my face! We all seem to be a little more in a hurry with full schedules during this season, but I cannot imagine how much more work U.S. postal service workers etc have this time of year. I pray that our mail lady did not only enjoy a surprise gift but also read the truthful words on the card about Christmas and saw the information about church service times on the back of the card!

  

     Christmas is a time to remember and focus on the birth of Jesus Christ who was born to set us free from sin and to bring salvation by His death! Christ’s life is truly a gift! Merry Christmas!!

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

P.S. The next intentional act of kindness will involve printed greeting cards of any occasion. When you are out after Christmas shopping, please look for great deals on Christmas cards for this! The only restrictions are that no cards from Hallmark, Disney or American Greetings can be taken. 5″ x 7″ size or smaller is preferred. Thank you and stay tuned for "Act of Kindness - Week #25!!" in January 2015!

Act of Kindness – Week #23!!

"…It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Acts 20:35

   The Christmas season is in full swing all around us! It is truly one of my favorite times of the year full of family traditions, giving, receiving and focusing on/proclaiming God’s greatest gift to us, Jesus!!

 

*The act of kindness this week...show kindness by giving to a child in need or to a child that is not expecting a gift from you this Christmas!!

  Below are some examples of organizations and ways to help give to a child this December. It makes me happy that it was not hard to find or think of these! I simply went onto local radio station’s websites and saw what organization they were supporting this Christmas!

91.1 WBGL and 99.1 Joy FM – Compassion International (sponsor a child and gift catalog) http://christmas.wbgl.org and www.joyfmonline.org

Compassion International’s Mission Statement: “Releasing children from poverty in Jesus' name. In response to the Great Commission, Compassion International exists as an advocate for children, to release them from their spiritual, economic, social and physical poverty and enable them to become responsible and fulfilled Christian adults.” www.compassion.com

93.7 The Bull – Youth in Need (gift drive) http://www.937thebull.com/articles/boatload-of-toys-410442/collecting-toys-for-st-louis-kids-12977440/

Youth In Need’s Mission Station: “To build on the strengths of children, youth and families so they find safety, hope and success in life.” www.youthinneed.org

98.1 Y98 – Toys for Tots (gift drive) http://y98.cbslocal.com/toys-for-tots-home/

Toys for Tots’ Mission Statement: “The mission of the U. S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program is to collect new, unwrapped toys during October, November and December each year, and distribute those toys as Christmas gifts to less fortunate children in the community in which the campaign is conducted.” www.toysfortots.org

Samaritan’s Purse International Relief - Operation Christmas Child (fill shoe boxes)

Samaritan's Purse’s Mission Statement: “Samaritan’s Purse is a nondenominational evangelical Christian organization providing spiritual and physical aid to hurting people around the world. Since 1970, Samaritan’s Purse has helped meet needs of people who are victims of war, poverty, natural disasters, disease, and famine with the purpose of sharing God’s love through His Son, Jesus Christ.” http://www.samaritanspurse.org/what-we-do/operation-christmas-child/

*My experience with the act of kindness…My church and I participated in the "Christmas Angel Mission 2014" sponsored by Mission Gate Prison Ministry in St. Louis! "Christmas Angel Mission 2014 is designed to bless children of inmates and ex-offenders with gifts, the Gospel and an invitation to weekly Angel Club meetings. This is accomplished by giving gifts by means of a Christmas party held in St. Louis. A fellow-up ministry is then set in motion and continues all year long. Every Friday night these "little Angels" are invited to Mission Gate Bible instruction, singing, praying and good old fashioned fun, food and fellowship." This year, I chose a four year old boy to give gifts too! I also participated in "Christmas Child" at my work and helped buy gifts for a 6 month old baby girl who is in a foster home!

    

         

                               


  There can be so much kindness and love shown when we do not focus on our own wish lists this Christmas and instead participate in helping give gifts to a child in need or to a child that is not expecting a gift from us! Some people might ask "why give gifts this Christmas to some one outside your family and friends?" The answer is more than just showing kindness and love! I hope that through this act of kindness we can help also direct other people's focus on Jesus being the reason for the Christmas season! God's greatest gift to us, Jesus, was born on Christmas day so that later He could die to save His people and give them eternal life! What a marvelous gift...now we should freely give!!

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

Act of Kindness – Week #22!!

"Thanksgiving after all, is a word of action!"

Happy Thanksgiving week! The intentional act of kindness this week goes along with the Thanksgiving holiday, of course, but I encourage you continue it even after Thanksgiving!

Have you heard the phrase, “better late than never”?! Well that describes me right now…this week I wrote out “thank you” notes for my October 18^th birthday. The notes did not just include thanks to the individual for the presents I received from them but also thanks to God for the blessing of having them in my life as well! Yes, those notes are five weeks late so I currently really like the phrase, “better late than never”! Have the recipients of these notes noticed that I have not written them one yet? Probably not…but the point is that I truly believe there is power/kindness when people take the time and effort to go out of their way to say “thank you”.

  

*The act of kindness this week...show kindness by continuously going out of your way to express thanks to the people around you or to someone who you have not talked to in a while so that you can live a life of thanksgiving!!

*My experience with the act of kindness… I am not going to share my specific experiences with this because it could possibly be one of you reading this blog post. Instead, I am going to take this wonderful opportunity to share something even greater than continuously thanking other people, which is continuously thanking God! I included parts of two devotions from “She Reads Truth” below that communicates giving thanks to God in sorrow and plenty!

Give Thanks In Sorrow

Text: Psalm 31:1-24, Psalm 34:18, Psalm 56:8

“If your heart is broken, you’ll find God right there; if you’re kicked in the gut, he’ll help you catch your breath.” - Psalm 34:18, The Message

Sometimes, I feel like God is asking me to put a mute on my feelings. When His Word says to be thankful in every situation, I find myself thinking, Even in this? In grief, in fear, in sorrow? You can’t possibly mean in this….God doesn’t ask us to silence our sorrow in favor of thanksgiving. Rather, He uses our sorrow to proclaim a type of thanksgiving we wouldn’t be able to express otherwise….Thanksgiving doesn’t devour your sorrow, but it acknowledges the Glory that will. The thanks be to Him who says our sorrows will be worth it. The giving of our souls to say that, even if our earthly hopes have been deferred, our eternal hope will never be lost. When you think you’ll never again be able to sing a song of thanksgiving, try it anyway. Our hearts may not be comfortable praising tragedy, loss, or bad days, but our hearts were created to praise the Hope of Glory.

  

Give Thanks In Plenty

Text: Psalm 23:1-6, Psalm 105:1-5, 1 Chronicles 29:10-13

You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. - Psalm 25:5a

It seems so simple—give thanks in plenty. That’s what those cornucopia centerpieces are all about, right? We’ve been talking for a week about sorrow and injustice and stress and suffering. “Plenty” we can handle…Literal plenty makes a whole lot of sense to me—to all of us. We know it when we see it. We slap a “hashtag blessed” on the gifts we’ve been given, knowing full well Who that Giver is. But I just can’t imagine that’s where we ought to land today. I don’t think that’s it. Friends, plenty is oh-so-much-more than moments and mail and meatloaf. “Plenty” does not equal prosperity, just as “want” does not equal poverty. Our circumstances are not situated on a sliding scale from famine to abundance, and we would be sorely mistaken to allow our “thanks” to take a ride on that hypothetical scale. For the believer, plenty and want are both constant states of being. Yes, we all have real, felt needs. And we have noticeable, tangible blessings. But beyond the surface—in light of eternity—our constant state is a want of grace, and God is our constant and plentiful supplier. HE is our plenty. Our overflowing cups have absolutely nothing to do with bank accounts or people or horn-shaped centerpieces. They do not overflow with success and they do not empty with failure. Our cups overflow with the grace and mercy of an Everlasting God—they overflow because there is always more than we can ask or imagine. THIS is our plenty. Wherever we find ourselves on the worldly poverty-to-prosperity scale, let us see ourselves in constant want of His grace and ever in possession of an overflowing cup of mercy from an all-sufficient God. And let us give thanks.

One thing that I have been so grateful for this past month is the encouragement, insight, advice and wisdom from others on not just being thankful in the month of November but living a life of thanksgiving! Thanksgiving should not just be a one day event to express your thanks and gratitude. Thanksgiving needs to be a condition of the heart! Let us strive from here on out to live a LIFE of thanksgiving!

  

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