Random Acts of Kindness: Generosity

     Don't you love receiving gifts? Doesn't it delight you to receive something extra that, while you may not have have actually NEEDED it, it lets you know that the giver cares for you? I'm not going to lie, I love to receive gifts. As much as I love getting gifts, giving them is ten times better! See, when you give someone a gift, you're letting them know that you care about them, and that you want them to be happy. It always a good idea to take some time to think about someone else. Giving is much better than receiving.

     I'm not just talking about giving Christmas presents to relatives. There are needy people all over the world who have NEVER received a gift. So here is my challenge: I want you to give a gift to someone you know needs it. Someone that you know would benefit from that gift. It could be anything from buying coffee for your friend, to sending money to a poor family in Haiti. The choice is up to you.

"Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed."

-Proverbs 19:17

Everyone loves a generous person, am I right?
                                        That's all for now!
                                                  -Mikey

Random Acts of Kindness - Tis the Season

To those who don’t know, today, February 17th is the official Random Acts of Kindness day!!  The week that has just passed was the Week of Random Acts of Kindness.  This is not to say that you can’t do any more RAKing, but to say that now is the time to do something with that extra happiness bubbling out of your bucket.  

With this in mind, I would like to share a couple stories from the internet on this topic.  

Story #1

A few weeks ago on a Friday, I stopped at a nearby UPS Store to mail a package.  I rushed in a couple minutes before the store closed... in the nick of time.  The address for the package was on my phone, so I set it down to write the address on the label provided by one of the workers.  She began to chat with me as she entered the info into the computer.  Despite me arriving just before closing for the weekend, she and the other clerk was very kind and helpful.  In a few minutes, I was all set to go, thanked the women for their help, and was on my way.  I drove all the home only to notice I had left my phone at the store.  I knew that the store was closed and that my phone would likely be locked in the store for the whole weekend.  

Shortly after contemplating what to do, a car pulled into my driveway.  It was the woman from the UPS store!  She explained that she knew how important some people's phones are to them and she didn't want me to go the whole weekend without mine.  So, she checked the return label and drove my phone to my house once she closed the store.  I was so happy, not because my phone was returned, but that someone was kind enough to think about me enough to go out of her way on the weekend to make me happy.  It made my weekend!

Story #2

A couple of days ago, my friend and I were walking around town after a day of shopping, my friend's shoe was untied and seeing that her hands were full, I set down my bags and offered to tie her shoe.  This shocked her as she stuttered the replied “Sure.”  I tied her shoe and we continued on.  

The next day I received a handwritten note from my friend through the mail thanking me for what I had done the day before.  This whole incident made me think of the smile we both had on our faces.  Neither of us had spent much time on the note or the shoe tying, but we had created a stronger bond and a memory that we would probably remember for the rest of our lives.  

Both of these stories are so motivational for me and the have made me think about how little time I have to spend on someone to create a memory worth saving.  What if you spent a couple minutes with your parents or children to create a moment of happiness. Please leave a comment! This is what I challenge you to do: Live life to the fullest and make sure everyone else does.   

- Justin Case


Ps. Please leave a comment if you enjoyed this!

May I have Your Autograph Princess?

     If you've ever wondered what you can do to brighten someone's day, just think about ways to make them feel special and loved. As I was looking for ideas on what Random Act of Kindness to share with you guys this week, I found one idea that caught my eye immediately. On Pinterest I found a photo of a security guard at Walt Disney land who took making little girls feel special to a whole new level.

     Here you see the security guard asking Princess Alli for her autograph. Of course, how could Princess Alli refuse. She was amazed that the security guard would think that she was a real princess. When the security guard opened the book, you could see all of the names of the little girls that he had asked for autographs that day. He truly was trying to brighten up the days of little girls all around the park. Every girl wants to feel like a princess, and Alli was truly treated as such.

-Tartious

Random Acts of Kindness

“Kindness is a language that the deaf can hear and the blind can see.” –Mark Twain. Kindness is a powerful thing. One kind word can change somebody's entire week. A smile (see what I did there? SMILE…) can impact lives. Proof of these facts is found in the following story:

Everybody goes through hard times. Loss of loved ones, financial turmoil, depression, etc. For young mother Sharon, it was all three and more. She had hit rock bottom but had to keep moving because she had a family depending on her. She had kids depending on her. Every day was a struggle just to get out of bed, but she was a dedicated homeschooling mom of four. So she woke up each morning. Life was tough. She was tougher.

As she dragged herself out of bed on a cold November morning, she knew this day was going to be a hard one. Today marked the one-year anniversary of her twin sister’s death.

“Get up, Sharon. The kids have co-op. Do it for the kids,” she told herself.

     One hour later, like a trooper she had gathered all the kids together and they were on their way to their homeschool co-op.

I feel like I’m forgetting something.

Sharon’s heart sank.

Oh crap. I forgot our lunch. I knew I was missing something.

Scolding herself, she pulled into a Tim Horton’s drive through and ordered lunch for the four hungry mouths in the back of her mini-van.

“Will that be all for you ma’am?”

“Yeah.”

“Alrighty. Your total will be $39.54.”

Sharon’s stomach did somersaults as she drove up to the next window.

Just give the guy your credit card, the kids have to eat. It’ll be okay.

She handed her credit card to the man behind the window, swallowing down bile as she did so.

“Oh, actually ma’am, the person in front of you wanted to pay for your meal. They told me to tell you ‘God bless.’ ”

What the????

“Are you ok ma’am?”

“Oh yes, yes. Thank you. Can I do this for the person behind me?”

Do you see what I mean? You never know what someone is going through, so be kind. You don’t know how much you could impact someone, so be kind. Whatever you do, Be. Kind.

What random act of kindness will YOU commit to this week? Comment below!

Thanks guys!

Sarina

P.S. This was based off of a true story! :)

Random Acts of Kindness- The Challenge

An extra dollar. A cup of coffee. A nice compliment. What will you give?

     Today, if you turn on your television or radio, you will most likely hear a pessimist talk about how “bad” the world is. Though we live in a world wrought with evil, we can still change the way things are. Despite crime and selfishness, we can show people that good can still prevail.

    One of the easiest ways to do this is to start with a simple blessing. Maybe you pass by a man who looks down, and you tell him that you like his haircut, or you purchase him a cup of coffee. What about a homeless woman, and you buy her a burger from a nearby restaurant? Simple acts of kindness can brighten someone else’s day or your own!

Here are a few great ways to give someone something to smile about!

What if you decided to do something a little bigger?

                               (Video credit: Youtube channels Yasmin J and ABC 7 Amarillo.)

   

     Whether it was a good luck penny or $1000 dollars, one person was able to touch other people's lives for the better.

    What I hope you will take away from this post is that you can brighten someone's day, by showing a little bit of kindness. What if you have been very fortunate, and you decide to pass that on to other people?

    That is The Challenge. Do something today that will make someone else smile. Give them a reason to pass on the joy of giving.  - Sebastian