Week 18

Well, it's been a while. Thanksgiving came and went and today is Christmas. I tried to stay mindful of the kindness blog but kept putting off posting. I had a very blessed holiday but couldn't stop thinking about those less fortunate. And I couldn't stop thinking about the 26 new Angels from Newtown, CT and the 2 Firefighters ambushed in NY. Things need to change but I still have faith that there are enough kind and good people out there to make it happen. I'll try my best in my neck of the woods. I hope you will too!

Week 17

Hurricane Sandy! What a mess. It is very important to be kind this week. If your friends or neighbors need you, please be there for them. We need to all stick together and get through this. Poor NYC, it's going to take a while to clean up and Point Pleasant Beach, one of my personal favorites, I hope you recover real soon. My thoughts and prayers are with all those affected.
http://www.redcross.org/

Week 16

I like to watch Ellen from time to time when I'm home from work for one reason or another. Recently she gave a woman not far from here a new car and then invited her and her BFF back on the show during the 12 days of giveaways. I really think that Ellen is truly a kind and loving soul. She really is an inspiration to those of us that are trying to be kind, even though the world likes to knock the wind out of us from time to time, leaving us feeling a little less than kind. I know that there are people out there who are really trying, in spite of their current conditions, to try to see what other people are going through and give them a hand. Hooray for Ellen and all those out there that are trying to do the same, in large and small ways!

Week 15

My sister is the best! She treated me and my Mom to a trip to the Keys this past weekend. The weather was perfect, the scenery was spectacular and the company couldn't have been better. She is one of the most generous people I know.

Sometimes you just need a taste of paradise to keep you goin'..............

Week 14

Treat a friend to lunch.

Week 13

Bake a batch of cookies and take them to your local volunteer fire department. Those guys (and gals) deserve a treat!

Week 12

There's a lot of charitable organizations looking for help and/or donations right now. With the economy being what it is, if you do have a little extra, maybe you can spare it to help someone less fortunate. The Leukemia/Lymphoma Light the Night fundraiser is going on right now, maybe you can find one in your neck of the woods. It's a great event.
http://www.lightthenight.org/

Week 11

Try something different this week. Drop off flowers at a local nursing home for no apparent reason. Donate something, anything to the Salvation Army. It's so easy to be kind to people that you don't even know exist. You don't have to look at them. You don't have to make small talk. Sometimes being invisible is the way to go. No one has to know how kind you are. You can still be the cranky pants at the office! True kindness shouldn't be rewarded, it should just be from the heart.

Week 10

If you watched any TV this week you would definitely have to say that kindness was nowhere to be found. It was all about the political jabs by both parties. They better not even say the word "bipartisan" from here on out. This is what our forefathers had in mind? I really doubt it! But enough ranting, I went to the grocery store about an hour ago and felt compelled to let everyone go ahead of me in line, just to show some bipartisanship of my own! Don't forget "MAKE A DIFFERENCE DAY" is coming up October 27th. By the looks of things, we have to start thinking about it now.

Week 9

My girlfriend invited me over for dinner and to hang out and unwind a little. She made great chicken and green beans. It was so nice just to relax with a friend. I'm so glad she invited me over.

Week 8

I'm such a chicken! I know someone that donates Plasma every week, not for the cash, but just to help those that have diseases that I probably can't even pronounce. My heart goes out to those individuals that are suffering every day. I wish I was brave enough to donate, but I truly admire those who do!

http://www.biotestplasma.com/

Week 7

We had a house guest for the past few weeks. A friend of my son, who was on the way back from a mission trip to the Dominica Republic, stayed with us. It was so nice to have dinner together and hear about his adventures. We don't eat together much anymore with everyone's schedules being so different now. When I got up for work on the last day he was here with us, I found a beautiful note with a ring he had gotten on his travels, a bouquet of flowers and a gift card from a local restaurant. In the note he just wanted to thank me for making dinner and letting him stay with us. The pleasure was all mine! I really appreciated his company and know my son did too.

Week 6

Just when I thought my child only talked to me so I'd feed him and do his laundry....he goes to the beach and brings me back a bag full of seashells and a box of fudge......my two favorite things!!! The kindness meter just went up a notch on my scale.

Week 5

The purpose of this blog is really to stay mindful of people around you. I didn't start this to toot my own horn or stand on any soap box. I just would like people to think about the needs of others instead of themselves. I am just as guilty as everyone else in that respect. Sometimes I get so caught up in my own stuff that I forget about what other people are going through. So this week, you and I just have to try to think about those around us. They may not be in a happy mood because of something that has happened in their lives, not because they just want to ruin our happy mood.

Week 4

The outpouring of love and support for the victims of the movie shooting has been tremendous. Even Christian Bale visited them in the hospital, which I thought was very nice. It must have lifted their spirits. There is one thing for sure, when a tragedy happens in this country, we all remember that we're in this thing together. Most people show great compassion and kindness.
The 2012 Olympics just started and I couldn't help but notice that when one member of a country wins a medal, does something really difficult, or even doesn't make the cut, the other country's members come over and offer their support. If we could only bottle that empathy and carry it with us always. I think the Olympics offers the hope that things could be different, that the world can come together.

Week 3

I'd like to say I'd witnessed someone's kindness or spread a bit of my own.....but this week I would just like to send out a prayer for the family's of the victims of the Aurora, Colorado shootings. It is evil like this that makes one skeptical of all the goodness there is around us. My heart goes out to them. My son was at the movies last night, and through the grace of God, he returned home safe and sound. What was supposed to be a fun time out with family and friends turned senseless. I just don't feel the kindness this week. Sorry.

Week 2

I can't believe a week has gone by already. I'd like to tell you about my friend. She goes to see her sister every week without fail. She visits her rain or shine, whether she doesn't feel well. It doesn't matter. She always takes her sister a treat for her and her friends. Her sister is in a nursing home. I think my friend is truly inspiring. I can hardly make the time to call my only sister. Some people don' t even visit their parents! Life is too short. You have to take the time to be with those you love. I'm going to try harder to connect to my "people".

Week 1

This being my first week, I've decided to start out slow. I think if everyone tried to be a little kinder the world would be a much better place. I try to put the little things in perspective and try to handle the big things in life the best way I know how. So this blog starts my quest for 52 weeks of kindness. Feel free to join in at any time. This week I gave a coworker an aricle to a place I know her and her husband would love to visit. I told you I'm starting out small! Talk to you next week.