Dec9
all.
Tag Archives: kindness
Nov28
thank you for giving.
grandbaby b and daughter deliver
—
three of us:
one daughter, h
one grandie, b
and myself,
(not the wisemen)
delivered gifts
of thanksgiving baskets
filled with donated food
provided by many,
to families
in the struggling community
around the school
where h teaches
each and every day
surprise gathering
—
and how lucky
that we were able
to show up
at one of her student’s houses
and the little one was shocked
when she opened the door
and saw her teacher, h
standing there
smiling
with a basket of things
to make her holiday special
and when this child
with so many life challenges understood
that her teacher had chosen her house to visit
she grabbed her hand and didn’t let go
and her baby sister came to join in the fun
and grandbaby b joined in the fun
another surprise
—
and on the next day of school
this little student
who didn’t have much to call her own
brought a gift
to thank her teacher, h
and told her:
“you brought me thanksgiving food so I brought you a balloon.”
and the joy of giving
just kept rolling on.
—
there are those who give with joy, and that joy is their reward.
– khalil gibran
Nov23
warmth.
halifax, nova scotia’s residents have recently been seeing an interesting sight: coats tied to street poles. at first, one might think that these clothes are lost, but they’ve actually been put there for a specific reason. if you look closely, there are labels attached to the jackets that read, “we’re not lost! if you are stuck out in the cold, please take me to keep warm!”
every year, tara smith-atkins works to help the homeless brave winter’s freezing temperatures. she asks the community to donate old coats and then invites local children to help her tie them to lamp posts for those in need. they also bring along scarves and mittens.
as the kids are tying outerwear to the poles, she aims to teach them an important lesson. she explained, “When we got back in the car after an hour on the street, they were all freezing and crying for the heater to be on and complaining because they were cold. and they were bundled up.” not only is the compassionate woman working to help the homeless, she’s also teaching young children the significance of what they’re doing. next year, smith-atkins hopes to include a $5 voucher in each coat pocket so the wearer can buy themselves a hot meal.
—
credits: halifolks, tara smith-atkins, amy poehler’s smart girls, ann gragert
Nov15
see each other through.
“maybe we are not here to see each other
but to see each other through.”
– anonymous
Nov13
choice.
—
image credit: the mind unleashed
Oct28
advice.
out walking with the kinders
i come up behind
an unlikely pair
who generally aren’t together,
mid-conversation.
one who is learning to cope
with separating from a twin,
the other who is having a hard time coping
with separating from a best friend.
the only real separation
is that the friend/twin in each case
wants to seek out other friends
and expand their horizons.
one says to the other,
“i know she wants to play with other people
and when she needs to do that,
i just let her go.
i know it’s what she has to do
and then she comes back later.”
the other responds,
“wow. how do you do that?”
she answers,
“it’s just what you do.”
i am amazed by
this four year-old’s insight and advice,
as many adults
still have not mastered this understanding.
—–
the only thing to do with good advice is to pass it on.
it is never of any use to oneself.
– oscar wilde
—
image credit: google images
Oct2
idea.
what do I think of western civilization?
i think it would be a very good idea.
– mahatma gandhi
—
image credit: finearamerica.com
Jul7
connection.
it was an ordinary summer’s day
and began with
a trip to the doc
who was out
so i met a partner
who was very shy
but who smiled
in spite of himself
as he handed me
a ‘good patient’ princess sticker
then off to the apple store
where a ‘genius’
gave me an hour and a half
of his time
without complaint
while smiling
answering all of my questions
with patience
no attitude
later on my walk downtown
i watched
a hearty construction worker
on his lunch break
reach into his pocket
pull out a dollar
gently bend down
give it to a homeless man
right in his hand
next
i saw
a very young and skinny
chain restaurant worker
with his company t-shirt on
hand some of his tip money
to another street person
and i continued on
where i crossed paths with
a hot dog stand guy
who gave me a nod and a friendly wink
crinkling up his eyes as he smiled
and with each interaction
it felt like people
were doing their best
to stretch a little bit
out of their comfort zone
in an effort
to reach out and touch others
to make a small gesture
and making a larger impact
than they ever imagined.
—–
“the real energy occurs in each connection between two people,
which can bring about exponential returns.”
– tom rath
—
image credit: nimble.com
Mar21
happy national common courtesy day.
courtesies of a small and trivial character are the ones
which strike deepest in the grateful and appreciating heart.
– henry clay
—-
image credit: tumblr.com
Feb27
our job.
“it’s not our job to toughen our children up to face a cruel and heartless world.
it’s our job to raise children who will make the world a little less cruel and heartless.”
– l.r. knost
—
image credit: neil abramson
