Remember these posts about the 19 random acts of kindness for John?
I’d like you all to know that I’m not a flake and did, in fact, do all my random acts of kindness.
I haven’t blogged them because I kept forgetting and truth is, I forgot to write a lot of them down, thinking my memory would do the trick but it didn’t.
Beth and I were chatting last week and she mentioned that it’s 6 months since Jon was murdered.
6 months!
I’m still horrified and honestly, I try not to think about it too much so I don’t become paralysed again like I did for that month when it first happened.
Still, this is a good opportunity to honour Jon’s memory so here goes:
- sent my VA a thank-you card and notebook
- made 3 travel journals for a friend’s kids – they took a family holiday to Europe
- sent a care package all the way to Pennsylvania to a blog friend and her kids
- wrote out 7 mothers’ day cards for friends of mine telling them they’re awesome mothers
- baked muffins for another friend’s kids who didn’t want to eat!
- gave baby mesh feeders to two colleagues for their kids
- bought earrings for a colleague because I liked the label for her – it said “woman of splendour” 🙂
- bought a box of tea for yet another colleague, a tea drinker
- bought some t-shirts for a friend’s kid – I thought he’d look cute in them
- 4 notebooks to various people
- left random anonymous notes on the bathroom mirrors at work saying things like “your dreams are worth it” and “you are beautiful” – stuff like that. Wouldn’t you like to get random notes like that?
- left “welcome back” note on a colleague’s desk who’d spent time away from the office on a project
There were many more I can’t think of; I like to think that being this way is such a part of my life that I forget to take notes. Ha 🙂
Interesting thoughts about this exercise:
- once you get going, it’s really fun listening out for opportunities to bless other people
- it’s easy for me to encourage and affirm people
- it’s also easy for me to do nice things when I’m organised (keeping some small cards in my handbag at all times) and prepared
- sometimes people don’t even say thank you, even when the gesture wasn’t anonymous! We all know how I feel about saying thank you. But I’m not stopping though; it’s their lives and their choice to be grateful or not.
- it really feels good to bring joy to people.
What else can you add to the list? What lessons have you learnt from doing random acts of kindness?
I cannot believe 6 months have passed since this tragedy. I often think of Beth and her family and wonder how they are coping.
I can remind you of another act of kindness that you have done: I have written an email of sympathy to Beth, and YOU have answered me! I appreciated this so much, and I saw what kind of friend you are for Beth. So thank you, Marcia!
Beth, I really pray that you and your family will be healed completely – in His time 🙂
Thank you, Renee, I love your kind words to both me and to Beth!
It DOES feel good to bring joy to people. I do loads of random acts of kindness and I LOVE it.
I love that some of your random acts were so simple…like the notes on the bathroom mirror / on a colleague’s desk. I tend to think about bigger things…like buying the coffee for the person behind me in the drive-thru…thanks for the reminder that the small little things are important, too. 🙂
Mandy, a note on my desk would MAKE MY DAY 🙂
I agree with Mandy, simple and “little” actions like can have a huge impact, no matter how small they seem. Great inspirtation to make more of them!