At the beginning of this month, I told you guys I was on the lookout for stories of compassion and kindness. Then all hell broke loose. Literally. It will take a long time to recover from this, but we have to move forward somehow. My idea isn’t just the 26 acts of kindness for each person lost at Sandy Hook Elementary, but more of a movement. Each and every day until next year at this time. Here are a few ideas just to help your community get started:
- Pay off someone’s layaway here http://www.kmart.com/shc/s/dap_10151_10104_DAP_kmart-angels-layaway
- Reach out to the home bound in your neighborhood and bring them books from the library or do chores for them
- Call your local animal shelter and ask them if they need donations
- Pay for the person behind you at the grocery store
- Have a charity day at work and collect food for the foodbank
- Prepare a meal for a homeless person and/or give them a warm coat
- Stop and give that guy who always waits in the cold for the bus a coffee
- Leave a special card for the mailman
- Give a gift card to the lady who works the drive thru (you know the one who always smiles)
- Give a lottery ticket to the man who hangs out in front of the gas station
- Make it a point to smile at people who are rude to you…it will drive them crazy
- Leave an extra large tip for one waiter or waitress during the holiday season
- Take your neighbor’s paper up to their door for them
- Once a month, pick a nursing home to visit
- Donate crayons and coloring books to local hospitals
This is just a small list, but anything will help. Get your children involved and let them see that the world can be a better place. Believe me, I know how hard it is to feel positive right now, but there is good in the world even if we have to put it there ourselves.
“Kind words can be short and easy to speak but their echoes are truly endless.” ~Mother Teresa
