Random Acts of Kindness

This week's post is a basic principle of life, but so often we get caught up in our lives that we forget how meaningful random acts of kindness can be to another person.  A couple of years ago after seeing the movie The Blind Side, I was very moved to find out more about the Tuohys who had given so much to a child in need of support, financially, physically, and mentally.  They have several books out now, but I read In a Heartbeat: Sharing the Power of Cheerful Giving.  Now I am a huge skeptic that a book or a movie can change any one's attitude, but I am happy to say that I was proven wrong. 

The book is long and deep in the weeds at times, but the overall message is clear in that you give what you have to give, even if only a smile, and expect nothing in return.  As long as you give, that is all that matters.  The (Almost Perfect) Nutrition Nazi is very good about living his life in a manner similar to this mantra.  Even on a bad day he still will ask you how your day is and genuinely tell you to have a nice day!

 So why did I post pics of essentially a mess on my family room carpet and what does this have to do with giving?

To show an extraordinary act of kindness by one of my co-workers.  She was blessed with 2 little boys that she loves dearly, but she no longer needed their baby clothes so she passed them along to me, simple as that.  I could never have imagined the number of clothing items, blankets, etc that she would just give to us.

And since I wasn't sure you would get the full effect of the sheer volume of clothes from the first pic, I sat on the floor and took a picture to show how tall the piles of clothes are compared to furniture.  Simply put - Amazing.  A random act of kindness that not only saves us money, but re-affirms my belief that underneath it all that people are truly good.

In another random act of kindness we were also fortunate enough to be given a jogging stroller in really good condition, by another one of my co-workers.  We feel very blessed because while these people have a connection to us, they may actually never see our child, and that makes it even more meaningful.

By no means is this an exhaustive list of all of the things we have been given, but just a few examples to remind us all that the things, physical or emotional, that we toss into a corner and forget about can make an extraordinary difference in another person's life.

To all of you mothers out there I would also like to wish you a Happy Mother's Day!