Tina's blog

My youngest daughter spent 5 weeks serving food in a poverty stricken Township outside of Cape Town this past summer. My other daughter and I came over to pick her up, with the 3 of us then having the privilege of traveling for 2 weeks in South Africa. An idea that was put on my heart before leaving Chicago, was for us to "randomly" give small pewter hearts to individuals, as we were so led. Saying to an individual "This is for you", and having them put their hand out, placing a heart in their hands, and then murmuring something to the effect of, "You have a beautiful heart - and it touched mine. Thank you," was typical of something we'd say. Each time, the looks that came over people's faces.the tears welling up..the "ohhhhhhh's" and the "I'll never forget you" or "I'll carry it with me always" types of responses, were (are) precious.

This is a kindness story sent to me last week from a widow who received care packages during a difficult time. It reminds us that even the smallest gestures can mean so much!

Robin wrote:

To use the word "stranger" and "unaccompanied minor" in the same sentence sounds like a dangerous mix. But not always! Lana sent me this email the other day and I quickly related to it. I've posted my story in the comments box below.

Lana wrote:

My son was adopted from S Korea when he was 3 years old. He was escorted on the long trip from Korea to NY by an Army Sgt who was very kind to a little boy traveling to a new life in the US. Sadly, in all the Airport confusion, we never got this kind soldier's name and no one at the adoption agency had his contact information.

I've wanted to thank him since the day my son arrived home.

Thank you!
Lana

I feel strongly that adolescents mimic what they see and it is our responsibility as adults to set a good example for kids to emulate. That is why I was quick to post this email I received yesterday from Amy. The role educators play is immeasurable, as this story proves, even when they are unaware of their impact.

From Amy:

From: Violette Clark

Hi Tina,

I am an artist living in B.C. Canada. I created a laminated sign - The Wishing tree and then created an envelope which i covered in packing tape and then wired the wishing tree sign onto a tree in a small park behind a high school. I had noticed that the teens had been marking up the park with graffiti and throwing garbage around etc. I thought it might be nice to help shift the energy around a bit and get the teens to put their wishes in the envelope. I started if off and put a few wishes in them - one was for wold peace and the other for inner peace. A couple of days later i went to check on the envelope and noticed several teens had left wishes in the envelope!

Cheers,

VIOLETTE
WWW.VIOLETTE.CA
"JOYFUL ART THAT FEEDS THE SOUL!"

Today is International Women's Day with next year marking the 100th anniversary of this forum for celebrating women. Also a day set aside to spotlight the inequities of the world regarding the female gender, and campaign for change. In the industrialized world women are more vocal and active, therefor we have a much higher standard of living. But in the developing world, we are all aware of abuses ranging from wage inequality to femicide. Their cries are not heard.

I know I shouldn't encourage defacement of property, after all it is a class 2 misdemeanor. But isn't there a difference between ugly vandalism and sharing a kind, positive sentiment? Well ... it is probably still considered punishable by law but I find the nice stuff rather inspiring.

My sister just returned home from a visit and said she had missed her power walking at a local park. She sent me this photo as "proof" that the park had missed her too! That simple smiley would put an extra spring in my power walk ;)

Send me kind graffiti you find in your world. I'd love to post it!

Yesterday, I joined a Smile Group on HelpOthers.org. This is, you guessed it, a site advocating a game of pay-it-forward dedicated to small acts of kindness. Upon registering, you are asked to answer the question, "What motivates you to be kind?" I thought awhile about this question and remembered a situation that unfolded a couple of months ago my father-in-law shared.

My in-laws were in the process of selling a rental home they owned when my father-in-law, Tom, stopped by the property to prep it for winter. As he drove up, he walked around to the side of the house to check on the outside plumbing. This past winter was brutal in Oklahoma leaving many pipes frozen and this home, at the time, was unoccupied ... or so they thought.

I was contacted a couple of months ago by a company called Kind Notes, a manufacturer of customizable message jars with notes in mini envelopes to open daily and promote kindness. The founder had come across String-Ring and wanted to interview me. Of course, I was just as curious about her business and, therefore, recently ordered one of these unique gifts for my sister. Well, it arrived yesterday and I'd love to share this wonderful gift idea with you. KindNotes™ is a decorative jar filled with 31 notes for the recipient to open each morning for the next 31 days. Perfect for my sister to celebrate the entire month of her birthday!

I read a blog post yesterday from Sherry at Daily Spiritual Tools that I wanted to share. Her blog is about offering guidance to help navigate life's journey. On the subject of gratitude, she uses a reminder note taped to her fridge as an example of how our experience is dictated by the way we label a situation.

She wrote:
"I am grateful for the chores that need doing; it means that I have a home. I am grateful for the piles of laundry that I never seem to finish; it means that my loved ones are close by. I am grateful for the big heating bills; it means that I get to be warm. I am grateful for the parking spot that I find at the far end of the lot; it means that I am healthy enough to walk." There are quite a few more.