"Giving to others is often the very way to bring happiness to oneself." I know that I personally think of this often and try everyday to make the lives of others a little better. Sometimes I am less likely to be successful at this with my family during fits of frustration. However the concepts of what make people happy and giving to others is always a thought close to my mind. This is something that I work towards daily in my personal life.
When I began this blog a couple of weeks ago, I starting writing down ideas throughout my days that makes me think about my "challenge" for you as a blog reader. I think about ideas or little acts of kindness that bring out the true heart of a person. My challenge to you for blog #1 was "Listen to someone's story." I wonder who listened to someone's story. Who took the chance to step out of their comfort zone?
This past Tuesday working at a soup kitchen I met a sweet lady who was with her disabled sister. Her mother had recently passed and she had taken on the care of her sister full time. What a selfless act; caring for others who cannot care for themselves. I started listening to their story by starting with a simple hello and "did you get enough to eat?" This opened the door for more conversation and ended with all of us singing Jingle Bells and Rudolf. Kathy had such a fun time singing to the top of her lungs and enjoying conversation with others. I wonder how many people take the time to talk to her and often do not because of her limited communication skills. Looking at her dis-ability instead of her ability.
I week prior to this I was taking Lexie to the YMCA for her 5:15AM (yes AM!) swim practice and a gentleman was sitting on the steps of the YMCA petting a cat. Lexie said "see that guy, he feeds that cat everyday when he comes to the YMCA." As I sat and watched the interaction with the gentleman and the cat, I found it such a sweet act of kindness. When the doors to the YMCA opened, he picked up the empty little baggy that had the food in it and made his way inside to start his day. A simple selfless act. Bring the cat food, pet the cat a few minutes and move on..... I am sure each day that cat waits patiently for 5:15 AM.
This week we celebrated Thanksgiving. The time for family get-togethers, football and FOOD. What a special season of togetherness and giving we enter at this time of the year. My "challenge" for you today is "How can you simply give" this season?
with ThanksGIVING,
Kelly
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Sunday, November 13, 2011
The StarFish
It is fitting to start my blog spot with "The Starfish." Why? This sums up most everything to me. I believe that we make a difference one person at a time and one moment at a time. I am someone who wants to save the world, cure all ills and make everything okay. I think we always need to practice acts of kindness, show love in small ways and make people smile. I love quotes and one that I read recently stated.... "be kind to others, you never know what battle they are facing." My favorite quote is "No one cares how much you know until they know how much you care." Working in the social service field I think about this a lot. Some of my passion is the realization that many people just need someone to listen. They want someone to care enough to listen to their story. With this blog I am going to offer "challenges" and ideas on how we can "make a difference."
Recently my family and I were on an island at the beach looking for seashells. I found it interesting how many people were looking for "starfish" in the water. I found myself feeling sad that the starfish would not have any chance of survival if they were pulled from the water. Challenge #1 (care enough to listen to someone's story). I ponder the Starfish. The ones that are washed to shore and the ones that are given a fresh start because they were thrown back in the ocean. By listening to someone's story, we may be giving them a fresh start.
If you have never heard of "The Starfish Theory" or "The Legend of the Starfish" check this out......
The Legend of the Starfish
A vacationing businessman was walking along a beach when he saw a young boy.
Along the shore were many starfish that had been washed up by the tide and were sure to die before the tide returned.
The boy walked slowly along the shore and occasionally reached down and tossed the beached starfish back into the ocean.
The businessman, hoping to teach the boy a little lesson in common sense, walked up to the boy and said, "I have been watching what you are doing, son.
You have a good heart, and I know you mean well, but do you realize how many beaches there are around here and how many starfish are dying on every beach every day. Surely such an industrious and kind hearted boy such as yourself could find something better to do with your time.
Do you really think that what you are doing is going to make a difference?"
The boy looked up at the man, and then he looked down at a starfish by his feet. He picked up the starfish, and as he gently tossed it back into the ocean, he said, "It makes a difference to that one”.
-Author Unknown
Recently my family and I were on an island at the beach looking for seashells. I found it interesting how many people were looking for "starfish" in the water. I found myself feeling sad that the starfish would not have any chance of survival if they were pulled from the water. Challenge #1 (care enough to listen to someone's story). I ponder the Starfish. The ones that are washed to shore and the ones that are given a fresh start because they were thrown back in the ocean. By listening to someone's story, we may be giving them a fresh start.
If you have never heard of "The Starfish Theory" or "The Legend of the Starfish" check this out......
The Legend of the Starfish
A vacationing businessman was walking along a beach when he saw a young boy.
Along the shore were many starfish that had been washed up by the tide and were sure to die before the tide returned.
The boy walked slowly along the shore and occasionally reached down and tossed the beached starfish back into the ocean.
The businessman, hoping to teach the boy a little lesson in common sense, walked up to the boy and said, "I have been watching what you are doing, son.
You have a good heart, and I know you mean well, but do you realize how many beaches there are around here and how many starfish are dying on every beach every day. Surely such an industrious and kind hearted boy such as yourself could find something better to do with your time.
Do you really think that what you are doing is going to make a difference?"
The boy looked up at the man, and then he looked down at a starfish by his feet. He picked up the starfish, and as he gently tossed it back into the ocean, he said, "It makes a difference to that one”.
-Author Unknown
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