I sure do hate to admit this, but yes, I am indeed turning 50 this coming year. The gray hairs have really appeared. No more denying it! No more disguising my age by having a 10 year old daughter. This realization made me ponder: what difference have I made in this world? Have I worthlessly spent 50 years here on earth? Has anything I have done made a significant difference to anyone?
In my pondering, I was inspired by various sites sharing “random-acts-of-kindness,” and “paying-it-forward” themes. With all the school shootings in recent years and the ugliness that seems to pervade our lives, I am accepting the challenge to help make this world a brighter place. I will attempt to perform 1 act of kindness per week – with a goal of 50 – over the coming year with the hope that it will become a lifetime habit.
Anyone wish to join me?
In May 2014, we ate a meal at Bob Evans. Our total bill was only $23. We decided to tip our waitress $20! 🙂 Hope it made her day.
I know I’m way behind on posting happenings on this blog. Some day I might actually catch up! 🙂
Way back in April, we were ordering food at Arby’s in the drive through. We gave $5 to apply to the order for the car behind us.
Last Friday when we were shopping for our church food pantry, there was a man checking out in front of us. After the cashier told him his total, he stumbled a bit. He didn’t quite have enough money to pay for the $19 worth of groceries he had in his cart. He started to look into his cart to see what he could return. My friend and I both reached into our pockets about the same time to dig out the $4 he was missing. Such a small gift, yet he was grateful. We were glad to be able to help out in this little way.
I do affirm the mission of Kate’s Kart! It’s incredible how much they have grown over the past couple years. Last week, my daughter and I had the opportunity to check out their new exciting location. They upgraded from a storage unit to a small store front. We worked for 2 hours labeling the books that had been donated to them. The fun part was being able to do this with some new friends!
As I was checking out at the grocery store recently, a friend got in line behind me. His wife had been in the hospital for several days and he was doing some shopping. I felt convicted to bless them with a small monetary donation to help with some of their expenses. Again, not much, but hopefully it was the thought that added blessing to their lives that day.
(I’m realizing many of my encounters happen while food shopping – maybe that’s the only time I ever really leave our house!)
