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Delving into Difficulty

The head librarian seemed sort of distracted and as we talked, it became apparent that she was grieving for her mother that had recently transitioned.

I stopped the setting out of materials and my busyness in getting our coloring meet organized to stop and listen: to really open my heart and hear the pain and love that she was willing to share.

Although her mother had been in hospice, still that final farewell (from this physical existence) is always a challenge.

We hugged for a good while.

Remember to take the time, my friends, to delve into those "difficult" parts when someone needs to share, is a privilege, their confidence.

Sending blessings of comfort and strength for all those facing such recent challenges.

To Live with an Open Heart

The changing point in my life came when I was in London. I had to stay the weekend in the city centre for a professional exam. It's an expensive place to stay and I barely had enough money. Walking away from the city centre into a residential area, I was approached by a young Irish woman. She promised she wasn't a beggar, insisted she had a baby in one the nearby flats but she had no food for him. Could I please help? In my cynicism I just assumed she WAS a beggar. In my pocket I had one pound eighty pence in change and a twenty pound note. This was all I had for the rest of the weekend.  I gave her the change and went to walk on past. Then I heard her muttering something and I turned back. "Sorry, for being ungrateful and all, but this isn't going to buy much in ... Read Full Story >>

Helping Others Know They Are Not Alone

For 20 years I have been a sufferer of IIH (Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension), and for the better part of it had never known anyone with this illness. It wasn't until I lost my peripheral vision and some mobility in 2001 that I turned to the internet.

Eventually I managed to connect with other sufferers of this dibilitating illness, and when it became so bad that I had to be early retired, the groups I had found became a comfort.  One such group I am now a moderator in, and I'm able to share my experience of IIH with the many members in it, and especially with the newly diagnosed. I try to help motivate and inspire them, and where possible to help them smile. Most of all I try to give them optimism and to show them that despite this illness, they are still capable and worthwhile people.

I keep in touch with them through the group, and email, and several in the UK by phone. Knowing that I am helping these people from my own experiences with IIH, however big or small. It's the least I can do!

Final Resting Place

As I left my home this morning, I found three small feathers on my windshield, which I kept in the car.

As I was heading into work, outside in the parking lot, I noticed that there was a dead sparrow on the pavement. She must have been less than a day old since she passed. I know that the ultimate act of kindness would have been to nurse her wounds had it been alive, but at this point, there was only once choice for me.

I put my laptop bag down on the ground and made room by an adjacent flower bed, in between the mound junipers, for her to have her final resting place... It felt right.

I gathered all twigs and leaves that I could find and covered her body.

Thank you little sparrow for your journey in this reality..

A Driveway Full Of Snow

Last winter, my family & I headed up north for a long weekend as the kids had a day off school. We made it up before a big storm hit on Friday. Driving home Sunday afternoon I was dreading the foot of wet snow & the wall of snow that we would find at the front of the driveway when we got home.  I envisioned hours of heavy shoveling before getting into the house. 

Much to our surprise, as we pulled around the corner, we caught sight of the house and what did we see but our neighbor just finishing plowing our driveway. It’s so wonderful to have such kind & generous neighbors.

A Good Deed in My Time of Need

One of the trials of being left behind at the closure of a relationship is all the things that are Left Behind.  Things that must be taken care of  by one or the other of the parties.  In my case,  I would be the one who has to take care of all the things that must be taken care of.  There was no diplomatic division of responsibility -- only me by myself suddenly. I have a  few acres of land a couple of counties away on which I have a minature horse, which Rob so sweetly purchased for my daughter a couple of years ago and which he has now left for me to tend to by myself.    The snow was very bad last week.  Very bad.  And the neighbors' fullsize horses had torn down my little horse's pen and he was running with them.  I couldn't get my vehicle up ... Read Full Story >>

Flooded with Praise

During my days as a fast-food worker, someone who came through my drive through called our corporate offices to praise me for being so cheerful and having such a pleasant tone and manner with the customers. Not only did that give me the motivation to  continue being kind, the manager also gave me a much-needed $20 as a reward. Not so unrelated, recently I went to a store to order wedding invitations, without any real clue of what I was doing. Two stellar employees answered all my questions patiently, explained everything without being condescending, and made sure everything went through correctly. A week later, when an unexpected date change had me worried I'd have to order (and pay for!) the invitations all over again, those same employees called the company that made the invitations to ensure everything would be right. Remembering how rewarded I felt when customers sang my praises to the corporate headquarters, I ... Read Full Story >>

The Gift of Each Day

I am grateful for the gift of each new day. The opportunities to share kindness and love with others. Grateful for the lessons learned and truths shared.

I was able to share several large salads and a big pot of soup that I made with friends and neighbors . I received the gift of friendship and warm hospitality. I learned more about how to communicate with authenticity when dealing with "uncomfortable" situations. Loving resolution was afforded by speaking my truth with kindness.

Dairy Queen Worker's Good Deed Goes Viral

A Minnesota Dairy Queen manager is getting widespread kudos for an act of kindness that required giving one customer the deep freeze treatment after some questionable behavior. Joey Prusak had just finished serving one of his regular customers when the visually impaired man unknowingly dropped a $20 bill from his pocket. A woman in line behind him quickly picked up the money – and then put it in her purse. "She picked it up so quickly that I thought she was going to give it back but she just stood there and waited," Prusak told TODAY.com. "I was extremely confused when she let the man walk by. She just stood there and put it in her purse and I was like, 'Really?' Prusak, 19, said the experience left him feeling "violated." After taking a few seconds to compose himself, he politely asked the woman to give the money back. The woman refused, insisting ... Read Full Story >>

What is in Your Attitude ?

"The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than the past, including your mistakes, your guilt, your pain. In fact, it is more critical  than the education you have obtained, than the money you worked so hard to earn, than the circumstances in which you were born, than the failures you endured, than even the successes which with you have been blessed. It surely is more important than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than your physical appearance or your talents. It will make or break a company, a church , or a home. In fact, it will make or break something even more profound - your character. We have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude . I am convinced that  10% of life is what happens to you,  and 90% of it is how you react to it. So, the choice lies with you. It's all in your Attitude."

 -Charles Swindoll

From I to You

I am free, like an angel

that opens her wings

I take on many forms

I laugh and listen

I am never far away

I am never gone at all

I am a friend, a good book

or a pink and golden sunset

I am a Mother's touch

And  a Father's helping hand

You know Me,

Because I am You

You are Me through and through

I am unconditional love

And You are too!

If I Can't Donate Money. I Donate Love!

I wanted to share with you all a little something I do. I do this often, well as often as I can. I love to write. I love to make others feel happy, loved and special because lets face it; that is exactly what we all are. So what I do is put the two things together, writing and love. I often write letters of love to strangers and leave them in places hoping that the person who needs it most will stumble upon the letter and find it. However lately I've started to post letters to organizations and even random people whose addresses I stumble upon. I am often sent letters asking for donations and to help contribute to various charities and organizations. I contribute the best I can but as we all know, we can't contribute and donate to them all. Included in these letters of request for donations, are ... Read Full Story >>

A Gift for My Aunt

My aunt was the first in our family to be diagnosed with thyroid cancer last September. When a loved one gets cancer, the whole family goes along for the ride. I am so grateful that my aunt is stable and still fighting this disease. A friend introduced me to website, where you can help alleviate hunger, simply by clicking a button. For each click, the site sponsors will donate a cup of rice on your behalf. One day while I was on this website, I discovered that you can buy Indian head scarves at a discounted price for chemo patients. They had really good reviews, so I decided to buy eight. I picked out a red one to mail to my aunt. Then I dropped the remaining seven scarves off at the local cancer center. When I got there and explained my gift, the lady at the desk was surprised. She thought that ... Read Full Story >>

When A Hug Is Just What's Needed

I was on a flight to New York with my two sons.  Having been through many hard years as a single parent, I had promised us a trip to NY on my 40th birthday and my eldest son's 21st & my younger son's 18th!!  There we were on our way.  As I came out of the restroom on the plane, I noticed a woman (probably in her mid-30s) standing and sobbing.  People, including the flight attendents, were just walking past her.  I got up, walked back to her and said, "I don't know what's wrong, but can I give you a hug?"  The woman held on to me like a long lost relative and cried for at least 5 minutes.  She just sobbed and sobbed.  I did nothing but hold her and gently stroke her back.  After she had calmed down, she said thanks.  I said "no problem" and came back to my seat.  A ... Read Full Story >>

Painted Rock Treasure Hunt

My sister-in-law just sent me an invitation to participate in this fun activity that is taking place in our community. It sounds like fun and is something that any community or group could do! You can change the "rules" to suit your group or situation.

Here's how it works: Just paint a rock with art inspirational quotes of your choosing, write "Go to PNW Rocks on Facebook" on the bottom, and be sure to seal it so it holds up in our wonderful rainy weather. Then, hide it around town where people can come across it in their daily activities. If you would like, post a picture of your rock art. Give a hint as to where people can find it.

If you find a PNW ROCKS painted rock, post a picture of your find on the Facebook page. You can choose to keep the rock or re-hide it. The whole point is to use art to brighten someone's day! Please note that there is no guarantee your painted rocks will be found, and they are given freely.

A Small Gesture Makes A Big Impact

I feel so fortunate as I write this. I signed up to this website last week after my Grandmother died.  I’m hoping to make a difference like my Grandma did. I've been thinking about things to do for others and I've been reading all of these wonderful stories from all of you- and it is truly inspiring. I took my daughter school shopping the other day.  She was on a budget and didn’t want to spend all her money in one place so she was being careful of what she was picking out and how much it cost. We were in the (long) line waiting to pay, and we were adding up everything she had bought.  The lady in front of us must have heard us because she turned around and handed us a 40% off coupon and said we could use it if we liked as she already had one.  My daughter ... Read Full Story >>

Unexpected Roses During Challenging Times

I live in a small friendly town. Due to the current challenging times the number of charity shops is almost the same as the number of  " normal" shops.

I am a regular costumer at the local charity shops, lately looking for teddy bears. There are people that I see working there on a regular basis and I think how lovely it is that they always have volunteers to run the shops.

Today I decided to visit each of the charity shops and leave a rose, a 29gifts and a smile card to each of the volunteers working there. Most of them were surprised, one asked if I was selling the roses ( meaning, I hope, they looked good enough to be sold ) and a lady commented that it was a lovely idea.

My next project is to do the same on the villages around my town. One village at a time.

A Generous Gesture That Made A Dream Come True

I had a dream for over a year, to attend the Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen in December. I had even reserved a hostel room a year in advance  because I so wanted to be there. I had worked very hard to arrange things, but was having trouble raising money for the trip. I asked one of my MBA professors who is connected in investing circles to ask, if I were to write an appeal letter, would he please send it to his contacts? He apologized, because he said there is not much money available right now because of the economy. Then he paused, and asked me where I was flying from. When I told him, he asked me if he could help me out with flight miles to Copenhagen for the trip. I was awestruck by the offer. I hurried to tell him that I had not mentioned this to ask ... Read Full Story >>

Gifts for My Birthday

At home all day today because of car getting serviced provided me with great opportunity for some birthday kindness :)).

Collected various household items, foodstuffs, books and clothes to donate...one item for each year of my birth! (Don't try and count! A few items are hidden...)

Bringing them to the appropriate donation locations tomorrow <3.

Truly a joy to be here another year on this wonderful Earth! Blessed and grateful.

What Makes a Grumpy Bus Driver Laugh?

I often take the bus for my daily commutes, and one of the drivers on the route to my house isn't known to be very nice. In fact, not many people like him at all. It doesn't take much for him to turn up his nose, or to ignore members of the community who are stranded when he drives by. That didn't bother me, though.  I decided that, no matter what his mood is on a given day, I would continue to greet and smile at him. Unconditionally.  Now, after awhile of doing this, I've noticed that his overall demeanor towards me has changed.  He not only smiles at me, but he cracks jokes, too!  One time, I fell asleep on his bus, and when I woke, I said, jokingly, "Why didn't you wake me? You know where I live!" We both laughed hard, and since then it has been an on-going joke ... Read Full Story >>