Acts of Kindness
When Meredith, the heroine in my upcoming Discovery series, was faced with hard times, several friends and family members offered her acts of kindness, which helped get Meredith through some great difficulties.
During the holiday season, my husband, Richard, sent one of his cousins a copy of his photography book, “A Portrait of Amish Life,” along with one of his 2013 Amish Country Calendars. Little did he know that the same day the gifts arrived was the anniversary of the death of his cousin’s father, and she was feeling down. She called and told Richard that the unexpected gift lifted her spirits and helped get her through the day.
We may never know what impact our acts of kindness have had on someone’s life. That’s why it’s important to think of others–especially during the holidays. What acts of kindness have you done for someone recently? Or what acts of kindness were done to you?
My siblings and I did not exchange gifts this Christmas, instead we purchased non-perishable foods and donated them to a local church food pantry.
My husband suffers from seizures daily and is bi-polar and is unable to work.So I stay home and care for him because we don’t get assistants with in home care.We have been trying to get disabilty for him for the last eleven years and have been denied every time so I am unable to get a job.Someone in our church sends us $200.00 a month to get by.When we receive it in the mail I am forever Thankful for whoever it is.I always say my thank you and ask God to bless them!It brings gladness to my heart to know that there are still people out there that are willing to help out the less fortunate one.I pray someday that I will be able to give back to someone.I hope and pray you have a wonderful New Year 🙂
Calling a friend just to let her know she was in my thoughts and prayers. It brightened her day as she was feeling so alone. Little acts of kindness are remembered more often than some big gift given to someone. Thanks for reminding us how important acts of kindness are no matter how small or large. Jesus even said a cup of cold water given in His name does not go unnoticed by Him. God’s blessings for a Happy New Year, Wanda. Looking forward to more great books.
I am thankful for those that Pray for me. And I too pray for a number of people each day by name.
And once in awhile I call an elderly friend or my widowed sister in law…to see how they are doing and just try to keep in touch now and then.
Happy New Year, Wanda!
Each Christmas we have the opportunity to buy Poinsettias for our Church in Memory or in Honor of a loved one etc. After our Christmas Eve Cantata we are allowed to take them home. I over heard a fellow church goer ask his wife if she was going to get one and she said no, we didn’t purchase any. We were behind them walking out to our car with our Poinsettia; I called out her name, handed her my Poinsettia and said Merry Christmas. She was surprised and said I can’t take this. I said yes you can, Merry Christmas and we walked on to our car. What if I would have ignored the nudge from the Holy Spirit? I would have missed out on a wonderful Blessing!
I had big plans to do an act of kindness everyday for the month of December with my children to go along with our advent ornaments, but as it turns out, I was the one ending up needing acts of kindness due to issues with my husband’s job. My sister, who just opened her own bakery, helped buy Christmas presents for my children. She and her grown children did without so that my children would have gifts. How does one begin to show appreciation for such love and kindness? I pray that God richly blesses her and her family! The only small things I could do was allow my children to put coins in the Salvation Army bucket everytime we went to the store, and to feed the neighbor’s animals when they went to see family for Christmas. Happy New Year! Blessings!
I am thankful for a real close friend i have, She had throat cancer and had her voice box removed and so now its to hard for her to pick up a phone and call me..So what she does, texts me and we text one another until one of our phone goes dead…I don’t want to bother texting her first, as I know she has really bad days still, So when she texts me, I’m so thrilled to hear from her..
Our hot water in our bathtub had been running a good stream for over a year and our shower was also broke.We haven’t had the money to fix it.Our son got on our county interacting page and posted that he wanted to get this fix for us for Christmas,but didn’t have a lot of money.A great man came out and fixed it.It still drips some and now the shower works great.He said it would eventually start running again because it needs a new bathtub faucet.Hopefully we will get the money before it does.But I thank my son and this man,it is so nice not to have to worry about that water running all the time.
I haven’t said this to anyone about how I fell going to work last friday, well when I get off the bus an go across the street to start the four an half blocks to my job at the day care an my two babies, well the first thing I say is good morning God an then I just talk all the way to work about the houses an the lights on them an I was talking to him an not paying attention to the side walk like I try to because there are places in the walks that have a high point an while talking down this old lady went an my book bag made it also hard to get up. I am also over weight an I got the bag off an had to crawl across the sidewalk to reach a tree to be able to get up, flet like a idiot so glad it was dark. (5:25 a.m) I had to get ahold of the truck of the tree an work my way to standing, still feel like a idiot, got up still talking to Go. got up picked up my bag put it back on my back. mouth still going an finally we got in front of the church were center is in basement. Told God thank you for getting me there in one piece. took it easy walking up tothe door unlocked an went in turned off alarm and an slowly went down the two flights of stairs an made it to my classroom. made sign in sheets ready for the day an then sat down to rest an look at knee . black an swollen an scraped. the day went okey but for some reason knee is still hurting off an off just out of the blue, it will get better but don’t want my boss to know how it is. hit shoulder also but it will get better an the main thing is I WILL CONTINUE TO TALK ALL THE TIME TO GOD.
Enjoyed reading this today. We’re constantly helping our neighbors with things. Blessings and Happy New Year, Susan Fryman
While at the post office to mail out my Christmas cards I seen a lady going through things in her car. In a passing greeting she mentioned that she had misplaced her car keys and couldn’t find them. After mailing my cards I returned to my car and started to leave the parking lot. I saw the lady, who was still looking for her keys and she had, by this time, placed a number of packages on the ground beside her car.
Something told me she could use a little help. I rolled down my car window and offered my help. I told her sometimes when we are searching for something that we can be looking right at it and still not see it. She excepted my help. She was on her way to donate items to a worthily while Christmas prodject.She kept saying “I just had these keys. They have to be here”. After searching in a few places I found her keys tucked among books and magazines. The lady explaned that she had looked there and had not seen them. I explained to her that The LORD has reasons for everything that happens. We hugged and parted.
Sometimes our LORD uses us to help people when they really need a helping hand. Didn’t seem like much, but He knows all things and sees things that we can not see! Glad God put the oppertunity in my path.
My husband decided recently to go to church with me regularly which was just perfect with me when i asked him why all these years he decided to do this he said that when i had asked the father to come out to our house and bless it as it is a new house and that we would have supper right after he thought things over and decided that it was better for the two of us as a family that we both worship together . We regularly go out of our way to do acts of kindness helping someone carry things,short at the register and we donated to a few things this past year but we kept it in our community that is the 1st time we did that and i felt alot better doing that as i saw where it was going very few donations that we did went out to others and that was due to there were no local chapters. Then for me i opened my last piece of mail for 2012 and it was from a girl who was in the system for a short period of time years ago and i have never lost touch with her she sent a letter that she is getting married in 2013 and that thrilled me to death as now the trauma that she went thru as a little girl can never happen again and this should open a big door for her it was the way i would of wanted 2012 to end.
I tried my best but failed to get a very sick little girl a dolly for her last Christmas and now I feel terrible because I said I would get it to her,. I ordered a doll off ebay and theorder went in in october but just got here 3 days ago so a friend made the outfit for it and I went to send it to her and was told she is gone. I feel so bad.
I find being kind and loving to other people always helps to lift my spirits.
I love to make cards and cookies for people who are depressed or saddened.
I find nothing can cheer you up more than a kind-worded card and a plate of cookies!
We never know when what we say or what we do will have a positive impact on someone. I have experienced that myself. Sometimes when I am down or depressed and can’t get out of “that mood”, I have happily been shaken to a more positive place by a comment or a gesture of kindness by a friend or co-worker. They are not even aware that they have changed my whole outlook by a word or action. I would like to think that I “pay if forward” as much as I can.
Last year Dec 6 2012, my grandson and I driving along behind my husband who was i busway to work, we were on our way to watch my sons dirt bike race for the first time. The most horrible, unexpected thing happened, but before it did my grandson who was 6 at the time had said he was nervous for my son racing that day afraid he was going to wreck and get hurt, I asked him to say a prayer, he said the most heartfelt prayer and coming from a 6 year old,it was pretty touching!! As soon as my son got done praying, I saw my husband hit something in his truck, hard didnt know what, but saw his body being thrown forward and backward and smoke and debris flying everywhere. He had no time to brake, it happened so fast we slammed my vehicle into the back if his, my airbag exploded smashing into my stomach, very painful. My grandson was fine! When my husband did not jump out if his truck and run back to us I had this horrible feeling he was dead!! I then opened my door and screamed n screamed for him no reply! The worst feeling imaginable !!! I could not find my cell to call for help. I then learned a young female driver was driving in our lane and hit my husband head on,then we hit him from behind, both our vehicles were totaled, my husband was trapped n had to be cut out, his back was bone in two places he was of work for 6 months! We were living on $200 biweekly!!! One lady who is a neighbor brought and left in my kitchen a box of everything u can imagine cleaning supplies, personal items, etc filled to the brim! Only one lady in our little community reached out to us,I will ever forget it!! This Christmas I sent her a nice tote bag from the popular 31 items, along with a card that said You Have A Caing Heart:) I wanted her to know I will never forget her act of kindness! That was the hardest thing I had ever been through and I still have trouble today over that accident ! God has helped me through it, dayby day!
I’m 62 years old and a stroke survivor…it’s been over 2 years.
Talk about caring..My husband of almost 44 years has been there for
me all the way! The story of continued re-
covery is very long…Needless to say, I’m very thankful such an amazing husband!
When I am out shopping and meet someone new I will read their name tag… Thank them while using their name.