Snowmen

I have been doing quite a bit of crafting lately and find myself looking forward to visits to arts and crafts stores.  Something about this time of year when the holidays are here and the cold weather blows in that makes me want to sit inside and accomplish small projects.

Recently I picked up a kit filled with all the supplies to make snowmen ornaments and could not resist buying the kit and dumping out all the pieces on my table at home.

I started by simply by putting together all the pieces to make one ornament.

By the time I was finished I had a pile of snowmen that I am ready to give away.  Hopefully, they will bring a smile to the faces of their finders this holiday season.

The 13th Gift

I just finished reading a heart warming book entitled The 13th Gift.  It is a true story about a woman and three children going through their first holiday season after the sudden loss of their husband and father. 

Twelve days before Christmas during the first holiday season after their loss, they unexpectedly receive a poinsettia on their front steps with a note that is it a gift on the "first day of Christmas" from their "true friends". While unwelcome at first, the gifts. which contine to appear with notes following the "Twelve Days of Christmas", eventually help pull the family back into the holiday spirit and help them realize they will survive beyond their loss.

The "true friends" were simply anonymous gift givers who remained anonymous for fifteen years until finally revealing themselves to the recipients.  When received by the right recipients an anonymous gift can be so meaningful.  I thank the author for the last two sentences of her acknowledgements at the end of the book which read, "I send out a prayer of hope and gratitude for gift givers everywhere.  Your generosity of spirit fuels us all forward."

I hope some of my gifts have impacted finders even a fraction of the amount the family written about in The 13th Gift were impacted by their gift givers.  I feel inspired to continue on this path to bring happiness to others.

Check Paying....Paying it Forward

This week I happened to be home in the afternoon one day as a result of when my flight got me back home from Kansas City.  As a result I was watching The Ellen Degeneres Show and saw a segment featuring a woman who moved to Vermont for a fresh start after being out of work as a nurse for a period of time.

Once settled in Vermont the woman found a diner that felt like home and made her feel like a welcome part of the community.  On a recent day she was eating at the diner and, since she had won $500 on a scratch ticket, decided to pay the check for a father and son.  She did so and left for the day feeling good about her act of kindness. 

After she left, that father and son payed the tab for someone else.  By the end of that one day at the diner, more than forty groups had paid it forward and more than 90 meals were paid for.

The power of kindness!

Kansas City

This is my second week of travel in a row and I am in the middle of a deep freeze in Missouri and Kansas.  Had a couple days worth of meetings to attend and some great people to spend the time with but the cold was hard to adjust too.  Just saw on the local news that snow is blowing in over the weekend.

Figured that while I was in town I should spread a little kindness.  Left a few gifts in various spots just waiting for their finders.  The gifts were....

An angel that can be hung in an office cube, at home or even given to a dear friend.

A pack of festive tissues...

A festive scented candle... 

and a cheery pack of post it notes 

Tampa

A week ago I was in Tampa teaching a course for a few days.  I frequently travel and teach, and last week I had an outstanding group of thirty-four that made my work easy!  The group had flown in from all over the country, and proving what a small world it is, one participant from Kansas grew up one town over from me in the northeast.  When it came up in conversation we could hardly believe it!

When the time came to leave one of my dearest friends who is also the friend I have had the longest in life picked me up at my hotel and drove me to the airport with her family.  We had dinner at the airport and she and her husband and two children waved goodbye to me until I was out of sight.  I felt so blessed to have such a friend!  Her kindness to battle through traffic to pick me up and keep her children up past their bedtime was so appreciated.

Before I left town I left a couple gifts.

Here is the dry erase post it left in the lobby at one hotel....

And a notebook left in the women's restroom at another.

Hope the finders enjoyed! 

Keeping Records

I consider myself to be very organized and sometimes keep track of more than I likely need to such as lists of gifts given and received for birthdays and holidays, lists of adult education classes taken, and lists of road races run.  I have friends that also keep track of things such as miles driven between gasoline fill ups, so I know this habit is one many people have.  The variable is what each person keeps track of.

It is so rare that I go back and look at all these records, but occasionally I do and am happy I have the notes.  As an example two weeks ago I started running 5k road races again after a 10 year absence.  I was glad I could refer back to my times and see the progress I made in the past that I hope to repeat in the future.

It is always helpful to have notebooks to write down the things you keep track of in or to doodle during the day. 

A Side Note

While I do think of myself as organized I don't always get to things as early as I would like to.  At any given time on the side of my desk I have a stack of papers and notes of things I keep meaning to get to.  This morning I sorted through the list and took care of a two memorial donations, two baby gifts and a going away present.

It is such a feeling of accomplishement to take those post-it reminders and be able to toss them in the bin.  While none of these items took too long sometimes it is just a matter of getting myself focused.  Fall and the back to school season always seems to jumpstart my organization.

Maybe someone else can use a reusable post-it to help with their list too.  It is perfect for the side of a desk or refrigerator.

Color

This past week I was driving and noticed the leaves on a few trees have already started to turn.  It is still August and yet those yellow, orange and red leaves were already peeking through the sea of green.

I will certainly have to get my camera out this fall and take some photos as I am working on my photography skills and look forward to new seasons and settings.  In fact I just went to a college bookstore to buy myself a photography book to teach myself a bit more before finding a new class on the subject in which to enroll.

Walking through a store a couple days ago and seeing all the school supplies out on display the colored pencils caught my eye.  Maybe the finders can use them to sketch or draw or just to write in a fun color or they can always add them to a child's back to school bag.

Chicago

Traveled to Chicago this week for work.  One of my favorite cities to visit with arts, culture, restaurants and architecture!  What's not to love!  I was mostly in meetings but grabbed the chance to walk through the city a bit. 

Saw the new faces at Millenium Park....

and the Bean

and left a few $5 Starbucks gift cards at the Art Institute...

on a bench next to a metal man.....

on a set of chairs next to the building

 

and on a bench in the peaceful garden

 

 

 Hope the finders enjoyed!

Friendly Toast

So today began a much needed and very rare 5 day weekend.  Yes 5 whole days!  So what better way to start it than with a random act of kindness.

I decided to head out to breakfast in Portsmouth NH this morning and after eating my favorite meal of the day, I treated a man and three children to breakfast.  The waitress was excited to be a part of the surprise and was the one who broke the news to them!  Hope they enjoyed and spread the kindness! 

Ice Cream

Earlier this week I received an e-mail from J.  It was a lovely note telling me that her father had found one of my gifts a couple months ago by the elevator in the parking garage near his work.  He used it recently to take J and her sister C out for ice cream when on their way to a nearby lake. 

When you leave gifts around as I do, it is so rewarding and exciting to hear from a finder but something about J's note was very special to me in that it reminded me of many happy times getting ice cream with my sister and Dad (and my little brother too) when going to the lake. 

Whether it be small ice cream stands, the local Friendly's or even my mother's own "ice cream window" where my friends, siblings and I would line up to order from the kitchen window while standing outside on the deck, ice cream and good summer times seemed to go hand in hand.

So on a drive yesterday I picked up four $5 gift cards for Friendly's and four $5 gift cards for a small ice cream stand near the lake.  I am hoping the eight finders get themselves a yummy summer treat and enjoy some time with their own siblings and friends!

J, thank you so much for your e-mail!

The Toad Under the Stone Wall

There is a stone wall that I drive by all the time.  It is an amazing work of art built over a series of years over a decade ago by a craftsman named Kevin French.  I remember driving by during the years he worked on it and seeing it come together piece by piece.

It marks the driveway and property along the road to a home that cannot be seen from the road.  The owners take amazing care of the wall and there are woodchips all around with any weeds quickly pulled up so as to not detract from the wall.  People are constantlystopping to look at it or take photos of its twists and turns.  In the center it has a twist that water can flow under.

Then at the very end the wall loops up and over creating an enchanting little space that has a toad tucked inside it.  I decided the top of the toad was a perfect place to leave a gift and had a pack of recipe cards and a note that seemed just right.

Trivia Night

At many local bars and restaurants there are trivia nights that can serve as fun evenings for friends to get together and share some food, laughs and friendly competition with other tables.  The prizes are usually cash or gift cards to the restaurant hosting the event.

Occasionally I attend a local trivia night with a great group of friends.  The pasta and pizzeria restaurant the event is held at is not fancy from the road, but it serves yummy food and drink and has a fun and welcoming atmosphere.  

Every evening I have been to this particular trivia night the same waiter (J) is working.  He not only provides excellent service with a smile but also remembers customer names and preferences and really adds to the fun of trivia night!  Thank you, J!

Farmer Girl

In my town there is a farm that raises livestock such as chickens, cows, and pigs.  The fields are often filled with fresh hay and you can stop in anytime and buy fresh eggs or order fresh meats.  

This farm is run by a young woman, M.  She can be seen working from morning until night since there is never a break when animals need care.  Driving the farm equipment, feeding the animals, gathering the eggs, helping birth the new animals, greeting customers dropping by......M does it all!

This farm is such a welcome part of the community and M's hard work and contributions do not go unnoticed.  I am going to send her a gift card to a local restaurant and ice cream stand hoping that on a warm summer day soon after hours of manual labor she can grab a treat and know she is appreciated!

Cultural Districts

Within the State of Massachusetts there are several areas than have been designated as Cultural Districts.  These districts promote the arts and have many programs and activities that benefit the community and that residents can participate in whereby making the arts accessible and also enriching the community.

Two of these districts, Central Square Cultural District and Central Exchange Cultural District, have had an impact on my life.  Within these two districts there are many people working hard to positively benefit the community.  There are a couple wonderful women that stand out in my opinion.

In the Central Exchange Cultural District JK runs an art gallery that has many community programs including art classes, the opportunity for local artists to display their works, and community events.  She brings an energy and excitement to an area that is seeing many positive changes, and she will no doubt be involved in many positive changes in the future.

Within the Central Square Cultural District RL is the executive director of the business association and is frequently involved in projects that add to the community.  She recently coordinated an effort to paint a large mural facing the street in front of a construction project.  This is a project thousands of people go by every day and that adds to the positive culture of the area.

I have sent both of these women a thank you card along with a $10 gift card to a local arts and crafts store.  I hope they continue to make a difference for many years to come.

Smiling

Every Wednesday I drive from work to university and along the way I pass several billboards for McDonald's and see their smiling logo.  You know the one I mean as it is worked into many of their images.

I suppose it is some sort of marketing genius as it never fails to make me smile even though I am not a frequent McDonald's customer.  Honestly, I probably buy their food a couple times a year.  However last week, I drove by the billboards and then did go to McDonald's before parking at school.  I got a happy meal, and it was a treat that reminded me of childhood.  I will likely be working off the calories for a while, but it was yummy.  Maybe four lucky finders of $5 gift cards would like a treat themselves.   

  

Green

I have a love of saddle shoes from G.H. Bass and Co..  Those black and white shoes made famous a couple generations ago.  Today they come in many colors including shades of green!  While I was not adventurous enough to try the green, the color did make me smile.

Green is a color of spring life and of the tree buds we will all soon be seeing in my neighborhood.  The thought of the spring makes people want to start fresh and even do some spring cleaning.  I cleaned out a cabinet and a drawer last night that had long just become dumping grounds for things.  Every time I opened them I would cringe and think that I really needed to clean them out.  Finally I did!

My car also needs a good spring scrub.  I have some green cloths to wipe down the dust that has accumulated on all the inside surfaces and to wipe the windows clean of smudges.  Hooray for spring cleaning!

Flip Flops

While this winter has been a long one with seemingly endless cold and snow, spring and summer are coming!  I must admit that I do love the snow which I commonly refer to as sparkles from the sky!  However, I can do without the cold wind when I wait for the bus in the morning.

I so look forward to those lazy summer days when I can relax with a glass of wine, a good book, and a great view!  As you wait for the warm weather to arrive these flip flop wine charms can bring a smile.  :)

Mood Lifting Needed

This past week has been a tough one as at every turn in my professional life I seem to have run into situations that have reminded me that many people can still sleep soundly at night even after actively trying to harm others.  So I am in need of the pick me up that the Undercover Ladybug project always seems to bring. 

Last night I arrived home to a box in the mail from my parents with a Valentine’s Day card, some candy and a small tin of supplies for my newest hobby of needlepoint.  What a mood lifting treat!

In this week leading up to Valentine’s Day everyone can use a little reminder that there is kindness, compassion and goodness in the world.  I bought a few wooden hearts that can be hung on a wall (mine is in my kitchen) or in a workplace cube or even in a car.  It is just a simple reminder that there is always something to smile about. 

 

Message at the Bus Stop

Welcome to 2014!  One morning this week I was standing at the bus stop in the cold waiting for my bus to arrive.  A half dozen of us were shivering and staring at our phones.  When I looked up to glance down the street in hopes of seeing my bus, I saw a sticker attached to one of the support poles of the bus stop.  It said "you are beautiful".  

It was obviously placed there on purpose and it just brightened my morning.  A simple sticker with the power to bring a smile.  

I have some magnets with simple sayings on them that will be my next gifts.  Hoping they make someone else smile as this sticker did for me!