31 Acts of Kindness – Part 4 – The Final 9

I have FINALLY completed all 31 Acts of Kindness in memory of Chaz for his 31st birthday!

And I feel so good about it!

I found this quote from Booker T. Washington that totally fits with what I have been doing over the past few weeks.

What he said is so true!  Performing these acts of kindness definitely raised my spirits during an incredibly difficult time.  It gave me something to focus on and work towards.  And it has really inspired me to continue on this journey of kindness.

Well, if you missed the first 3 posts of my 31 Acts of Kindness Series, you can check them out by clicking on the following links:

Now here I am with the Final 9!

Acts of Kindness #23 though #31:

23) While the kids and I were playing with sidewalk chalk, I wrote nice chalk messages on the sidewalk near our house.  These pictures might be hard to see, but this one says “It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood!”  It was a long message, so it required 2 pictures to capture it! 🙂

These next 2 messages say “Enjoy your walk” and “Have a great day!”  And as you can see, the kids were having fun coloring the sidewalk too!

24)  I gave a woman with 2 children a bunch of tokens and a few activity passes at a local fun center (a place with an arcade, laser tag, mini-golf, go-carts, bumper boats, etc).  I was there for a work outing and we were each given a card with 20 tokens and passes for 3 of the bigger activities.  I had a meeting before the event, so I arrived late.  A co-worker of mine was leaving as I was coming in, so she gave me her card.  Plus, I had my own card.  I wasn’t able to use all of the tokens or activities on the cards, so as I was walking out, I approached a woman with 2 kids.  I explained what was left on the cards and gave them to her.  She just said “Wow, thank you!”

25) I gave a small donation to D.A. Blodgett – St. John’s , a local organization that offers programs for foster care and adoption.  I can’t explain everything they do, so just check out their website and maybe consider making a donation too!  I had planned on using my novice couponing skills to get a lot of school supplies to donate, but I realized I just don’t have the extra time to get them and drop them off.  So I decided to just send in a monetary donation for the organization to use as needed!

26)  I gave a simple, little gift to a friend who recently had a baby.  This was their second child, so I assumed they probably already had a lot of baby gear.  And since I’m a very practical person, I wanted to get them something useful.  So, I put some disposable plates, cups, and cutlery into a gift basket.  I included a note that said something like “I can’t cook for you, but I can do the dishes!” 🙂  I also threw in some packages of breast milk storage bags and nursing pads that I was never able to use since I had to stop nursing Will.  I know it’s dorky, but that’s just how I am! 🙂

27)  My family doesn’t know this yet, but to show my gratitude for them I will be sending them all something nice in the mail from the kids and me!  If you’re reading this family, then “Surprise!” 🙂  I wanted to write this post, but I won’t be able to get to the post office until Monday…

28)  I donated our excersaucer and baby swing to my mom’s church.  I also gave a pair of sandals I had just bought for Will, but I realized after the first time he wore them that they were too small for him.  They collect these items for young mothers who are in need.

29)  The kids and I decorated more bags for Kids Food Basket , a local organization that provides sack suppers to school children.  You can visit their website to learn more about what they do, and even make a donation!  We’ve actually been doing this since Christmas, and the girls know that they are for the kids who need supper.  They always say “It’s for the kids,” when we are coloring them! 🙂

30) I gave authentic compliments to several different people. This is big for me because I’m an introvert, and I don’t even talk to very many people. I’m also shy, so it’s unlike me to even approach someone to even talk about anything at all. I told a woman at work that her nail polish looked great. I told the cashier at the grocery story that she did a great job bagging my groceries and I also thanked her for it. Basically, it was a lot of small things like that.  But hey, it’s better than nothing, right?

31)  The kids and I made birthday cards for our local Senior Meals on Wheels program .  The delivery drivers give them to the seniors in the program.  I thought the birthday cards were a fun way to get the kids involved!  I just had them color some poster board, which I then cut into card sized pieces and wrote “Happy Birthday” on the front.  I pasted a handprint from the kids on the inside (I included their name and age on it), and wrote “Here is a HIGH-FIVE for you on your Special Day! Enjoy!”  In case you haven’t noticed, I’m big into high-fives! 🙂

Hip hip hooray!!!  That is all 31 Acts of Kindness in memory of my incredible husband for his 31st birthday.  It took me 3 weeks to complete them all, but I did it!

In Part 2 of this series, Sybil from She Lives Free left a wonderful comment that said I was “choosing beauty out of ashes” and encouraged me to “keep choosing joy and spreading joy” wherever I go.  I just thought that was a great way of phrasing this.

Do I still have my difficult days, hours, minutes?  I sure do!  Do I wallow in my grief?  When I have the time, I just might! Are there moments where I just don’t think I can take another minute of the pain of this loss?  Yup!

And I could be bitter about all of this (and at times, I really am!), and spread anger (trust me, I have a lot of angry feelings) to those around me.

But how would that be effective? Just because my current situation can feel pretty miserable, that doesn’t mean I can’t bring happiness to others.  I don’t want people to hurt the way I do, so I will do what I can to help others.

Plus, I have our 3 beautiful children to raise, and I want to raise them to have the love and joy that Chaz had.  So, I will continue to push through. To “choose beauty and joy.”

But don’t worry, this series isn’t done yet!  I still have another post to write with all the amazing Random Acts of Kindness that my friends and family did from the event I set up in Part 1 of this series.  There are a lot of them, and they are good !  So stay tuned!

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