Dear Readers:
I am a day late writing my post for the Style Me Bloggers link-up entitled Killing Them With Kindness: Documenting my random act of kindness. I have been really caught up in the Rediscover Me 28 Day Challenge with Alison Lumbatis and apparently have trouble balancing more than one extracurricular activity at a time these days.
I first heard the terms ‘paying it forward’ and ‘random acts of kindness’ at the turn of the century. This century! I am NOT THAT OLD! Around 2000, when the movie Pay it Forward came out, to be exact.
It was based on a book by the same name about young boy who did 3 good deeds for others in need. In return, all the child asked was that those he helped pass on a good deed to three other people in order to keep the cycle going. If you haven’t seen the movie, please consider checking it out.
It will warm your heart.
I loved the idea of doing something nice for someone, often anonymously and without expecting anything in return. Since I have always worked in schools where the majority of students were underprivileged, it was easy to do little things for some of the neediest babies who came into my life for a reason or a season. There was the little girl who came to school every day smelling like a litter box. I kept changes of clothes for her in the library. On mornings when she came to school in clothes that were particularly offensive, I would give her clean clothes to change into and would take her other clothes home to wash.
The Scholastic Book Fair would come to our school and the Book Fairy would make an appearance – well, not an appearance because she is invisible, of course, but she would drop by, fly by? and purchase books for kids who would never have been able to afford them.
It was easy to do things little things like that when no matter how my family was struggling financially, we had so much more than my sweet babies at school. New shoes to replace shoes with holes in the soles for children whose souls had holes. Lice shampoo. A clean, Goodwill-new uniform, a Barbie at Christmas, lice shampoo, Chapstick.
At Christmas time, when I would collect items for a care package we would send as school to soldiers overseas, those same little angel babies would bring me things to send. Sticks of gum, the graham crackers from their school lunches, a handmade card to include in the package for our soldier heroes.
They learned to pay it forward. To do random acts of kindness.
I tried to teach my daughters to help those less fortunate than we. They “adopted” two children in Africa for a year through Save the Children. Brennyn and Lauren donated a percentage of their allowances and I matched it toward the monthly sponsorship fees. They donated some of their gently used toys to Toys for Tots and the clothes they had outgrown to Candlelighters. We visited an orphanage in Juarez, Mexico to deliver school supplies, clothing and books. We have taken towels, blankets and treats to the animal shelter.
All of this to say that it is so easy to bring a little sunshine to someone’s day.
It is important to teach our children that they can pay it forward and make a difference, too.
Random Acts of Kindness Week is this coming week…February 9-15, 2015.
You can read about it here.
If you do something randomly nice for someone else this week, please share it here with me in the comments section below.
Your act of kindness might be just the thing to prompt someone else to do something nice!
You can start right now by viewing the blogs of my Style Me Blogger buddies and reading their posts for this link-up.
Shoes to Shiraz | Two Teens and their Mama | A Lovely Little Wardrobe | R Squared
Confessions of a Frumpy Mommy | Family Love Inspiration Education
Daily Style Finds | Sheila’s Potpourri | Puppies and Pretties | She thought She Could
Foxy’s Domestic Side | Once Upon a Time & Happily Ever After | Sprinkled Just Right
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Enjoy!
Hugs and sticky kisses,
Sharon
Loved your post today. It seems like a small thing to
us but it’s a big deal to those in need. At Chifila last week a chain of paying for the persons lunch behind you in the drive thru line was going strong. It was so nice and unexpected even though I’m
sure everyone could pay for their own. Helping others shouldn’t just be at Christmas. Paying it forward is a true blessing for the giver!
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Appreciate you sharing the story about Chick-fil-a, In this old, cold world, it is refreshing to know there is still some NICE that goes on. I think you hit the nail on the head when you said everyone could pay for their own order but having someone else do it was so unexpected. That’s what keep us young, softens our hearts and helps us get up when we stumble. Love you!! XO
Deena
So very true that we need to teach kids kindness. Great post
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Enjoyed seeing the Instagram picture of your little one picking out presents for her cousins today. When our babies realize how good it feels to give, they want to do it all of the time! You are a good mommy, Deena.
Lily
I wen to the store this morning and got some treats. I am going to put a treat with a note in a different student’s backpack each day.
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Yay, YOU, Lily! I know those babies will appreciate the treats you showered them with and the mommies will appreciate the kind notes. Thank you for being that teacher that makes all the difference.
Shaunacey
we do need to teach kindness, I couldn’t agree more.
I didn’t read the book but I saw the movie and it was wonderful, so heart-warming
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Loved seeing mini-you out in the snow today on Instagram. She is such a doll. Can’t wait to meet the next mini B.
Lana
Leslie, you are such a beautiful person inside and out. YOU are the sweet angel to help those children at your school. Teaching kindness to our children is so important – you’ve inspired me to write about it!
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Thank you, sweet friend. So glad I was a small part of inspiring you to write about teaching kindness to our babies. Can’t wait to read your post. I really enjoy the direction your blog is moving in with the human interest, feel-good, encouraging messages you are writing. You seem to have found a great balance between blogging about fashion and blogging about your other interests. Bravo!