“It’s a beautiful fact that in practicing kindness, we can’t help but deepen our understanding of how inner and outer change are fundamentally intertwined.” (Daily Good, “5 Reasons Why We Serve.”)
I’m following up with you all on our week of kindness last week. (Image at left courtesy of the RAK Foundation’s website. I also recommend this website 1,000 Mitzvahs as an inspiring resource.
- My favorite parts of the week were our bedtime compliments and gratitude lists. I’d like to continue doing this.
- We shopped for canned food and donated them to the Food Bank. My sweet girl said she felt great doing it.
Happy giver
- I felt lighter after I helped a woman find something at Target she was having trouble spotting and even gave her my coupon for the item. She was so thankful. That inspired me to move a shopping cart out of a handicapped parking space on my way out to the car. Why not? I know I get frustrated when a cart is smack in the middle of a parking spot!
- Donate used children’s books to the library. We ordered a few new books from my daughter’s Scholastic book club (swoon) at school so she felt really good about making space for new by donating some used ones. She did a GREAT job with this, helping me give them to the librarian.
- We saw someone at the side of the road asking for money/help, so I told her we were going to give him one of the gift cards we bought for McDonalds. After he said “Bless you” and I didn’t know how to reply and we moved on, she told me I should have said “Have a nice lunch.”
- My daughter and I sent e-cards to a few friends and to her teachers for Valentine’s Day. She enjoyed writing her own notes and waiting for a response.
-
Composing her V day message
- Also for Valentine’s Day, she insisted that we leave the house early for music class so we could stop and buy a flower for her teacher. I was amazed at her giving spirit and the seriousness with which she selected just the right rose and wrote her note.
Notice the sweet scribbles
Each of us can make a difference in some small way every day, even if it’s just a smile sent toward a stranger. I invite you to join us in looking for opportunities to spread kindness this week (and always).
It sounds like you are learning from each other.
Terrific! Thank you!
These are wonderful ways to teach your daughter that small acts of kindness can mean so much to others and in turn we receive blessings ourselves!! Love this post!