Random Act of Kindness

It was last summer, but I still remember it like it was last week.

A month or more before, we had seen a toy at the store,

and I knew from the moment I spotted it that Levi would not want to part with it.

It was a squid,

but the great part was that the legs on the thing were created to swoop around

and the squid then looked like it was...

sloshing...

(is that what squids do?)...

across the floor.

But the price tag reflected the abilities of the toy,

and I knew he'd have to put it back.

I told Levi that,

and he set it back, not too happily,

 but knowing that these battles never ended in his favor.

And then the memorable day,

the one I'm referring to,

happened.

We had stopped at the second hand store to pick up old bread for the pigs.

The kids had said hello to the workers and then headed to the toy aisle to see what new toys

were on the shelves.

I had barely made it through the front door

when Levi nearly ran into me,
"Look, Mom, look what they have here today!

It's the very same squid, the exact one that you said was too much at the store,

they have it here.

It's not too much now, is it?"

The couple other shoppers standing nearby couldn't help but stop and smile at Levi's obvious excitement.

I could barely believe it, knowing that God must have sent that thing

because there was no way I was ever buying it at the price it was before.

But I didn't want Levi to know since I still wanted to get it for his birthday,

so I said,

"Hmmm, well, now, I don't know.  That may be too expensive still,

but maybe we could get it for your birthday.

You'll have to put it back and see."

Levi's face turned to a frown as he set it back.

I didn't realize the other shoppers were listening in on our conversation,

(I suppose whether they wanted to or not),

but also that my intention of buying the squid was probably lost to them.

In a few moments,

an older, thin gentleman, with a beard as white but only half the length of Santa Claus',

approached me and Levi,

squid in hand.

"Here you are, son,"

he said, as he handed it to him.

"I bought this for you."

Levi looked at the squid, and then the man, and then me,

confused.

"You bought this for me?" Levi asked.

"Yes, I did.  It's all paid for,"
and he pointed to the clerk, and she smiled and nodded 'yes'.

"This nice gentleman bought the squid for you, Levi."

I was unsure what to say.

"You didn't have to do that, Sir."

"I know I didn't.

  I wanted to."

"Thank you!" Levi responded, as he hugged the squid and set it on the floor

to watch it 'slosh' away.

It looked as if the older man had as much enjoyment watching my son,

as my son did watching the squid.

"Thank you," I said, touching the older man's arm.

"That was really thoughtful of you."

He left the store shortly after that

and I've never seen him again,

but that kind gesture, that random act of kindness,

it has not grown distant.

A couple weeks before Christmas,

it happened again.

We came home from running errands, violin lessons,

grocery shopping,

and there was a big box in front of the door.

It was addressed to the kids,

and when we opened it,

there were packages wrapped full of fun and creative things

for each of the kids.

 A family friend I'd reconnected with on facebook

had sent them

and each gift was so perfect for each child...

 it meant as much to me as it did to them.

 There was a sweet letter inside as well,

and the whole thing,

an unexpected, random act of kindness,

was so overwhelming,

it made me feel as if I needed to sit down to get my smile under control.

What incredible thoughtfulness!

The funny thing is, there is an unsure feeling of
"Why did this happen to us?"

that makes one want to somehow return the favor.

I think of the words she left me,

"Pay it forward."

It's kind of like the golden rule:

"Do unto others as you would have them do unto you,"

except without wanting the return part of it coming back

but to keep going forward.

What if I chose to pay it forward everyday?

What if I chose to take the extra step to do one random act of kindness

every

day.

Oh, wouldn't it be fun to have the funds to do great things everyday!

I have so many friends and people I'd love to do grand things for.

Obviously, expensive or even monetary things can't always be done every day,

but there are little things.

It may just be bending over and picking up a piece of trash off the street that isn't mine,

intentionally waving to a stranger on the sidewalk,

sending a letter that would otherwise never be given time to be written and sent,

making my husband his favorite dessert,

reading my child a book instead of sending him off in front of the television,

saying a prayer for someone I wouldn't normally pray for...

or someone who annoys me or makes me angry...

Some things so small,

that I wonder,

 "Are these random acts of kindness or just things that have been allowed to be neglected?"

Or perhaps it would be better to say that if I chose simple random acts of kindness everyday

the world would be less neglected

and I'd be a few steps closer to being able to do

the grander things...

like a toy squid...

or a box of surprise gifts.

 

Yes, friend, I do plan to pay it forward:

in some bigger ways, I hope and pray,

but also, in smaller ways, as well...

and I'm going to try

every day

because everybody could use a random act of kindness.

Luke 6:31

"And as ye would that men should do to you,

do ye also to them likewise."

Candy Memories that are Extra Sweet.

Christmas time could certainly be called a sweet time of year.

'Sweet' can be referring to the foods that seem to be linked to Christmas,

but even more sweet are the memories made.

 One of my father's brothers has never gotten married.

He says he's still praying for the right one.

I have to admit, I think my sisters and I,

and all of the cousins that are on my dad's side

are secretly, selfishly glad he never did.

Of course, we'd love to see him meet the right girl,

but he loves life so much, it's always a delight to be with him.

Just say, "Uncle is here,"

and there is a mad, screaming dash from all parts of the house,

racing to be the first to greet him.

He's always just a phone call away,

 and he'll somehow manage to hop in his car

and drop in for a visit for a few hours.

We call him the kid magnet.

I have so many memories with Uncle,

and nearly every one of them brings back a smile mingled with laughter.

He has never lost his sense of fun and adventure,

patience and compassion.

So when I had some gingerbread houses that needed to be built,

Uncle was the obvious choice for the engineer.

 

 His house was built and well on it's way to being a great edible centerpiece...

 while my attempt at putting my house together

ended up relocating to his side of the table for help.

Mark it down:

I cannot build houses.

 Uncle's house, carefully decorated by the little crew,

was a sweet success.

 

Isn't it funny how looking at a picture can bring with it

the sound of the laughter that went with it,

the suggestions and jokes and merry moments.

 Well, for the most part, they were happy memories.

 Still, even if one was a dismal failure...

 

there is always a good that can come of learning from it...

especially if the clean-up crew is happy to do the job.

Christmas Home Tour

Christmas elegance...

old mixed with new;

Sparkling bulbs

 of happy pinks and blue.

Empty glasses
filled with energetic red;

 Frosty smiles
from his unlikely bed.

Skating folk
enjoy musical spins,

as Lillie watches on
with never-ending grins.

Kitchen shelves evoke the festive mood

for Christmas cheer,

and Christmas food.

Glassware chicks entertain a ceramic tree

Neither of them worry of edibility.

Snowy scenes evoke a cozy wintry essence

of cold and clean white

it echos winter's presence.

A pitcher of boxwood greens,
a bell of crimson red,

A garland ring of plastic...

"for-ever-green,"
 it could be said.

The effervescent tree behind the etching student knows

the smiles for its shining,
eager fingers decked it's boughs.

The student's desk is edged with grace
of Christmas cheer all over its space.

Eager vintage ladies waved in velvet coats of red,

enjoying their yearly parade, singing of manger bed.

But beside all the earthly emblems of fun

eternity spoke forth on the first eve of one:

Jesus, the Christ child, born of virgin birth

Sent by God the Father to walk on the earth.

His harsh-rendered death evokes images of pain,

but he rose the third day, everlasting king,

eternal reign.

By death He gave life,
emitting His rays of eternal love
to those who call to him,
receiving forgiveness from above.

The elegance, the embers, the excitement Christmas brings

all rallies around one, 

the birthday of the King.

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Simple Ways: Stucco and Silver

I just mistook self-tanning cream
for hair conditioner.
I kept wondering why the tangles were not loosening from my wet hair.

Yes, it has been that sort of Monday:

Phone tag
(why is it people realize they need hay delivered on Mondays,
and need it NOW),
puppy disasters in the form of holes dug right outside the doorway
same place, same mud pit as last Friday,
as well as chewed up items that I will not mention but that made me gasp and then screech
which sent him running out the back door;
home-schooling frustrations regarding division
(and I thought I disliked division the first time around;
teaching it to a child who wants to skip as many steps as possible,
no matter how many times I reinforce that all steps are necessary,
well, let's just say 'challenging' is putting it mildly,
like calling a severed finger a hang nail that has gotten out of control);
cooking atrocities compounded by substituting wrong ingredients;
stepping in evidence that the chickens have been sneaking up on the porch again...

with my socked foot.


Yes, that sort of Monday.


I had great plans of posting a great story of a great lesson I had learned,
but I lost it somewhere,
I think between my toes.


So, rather than wax wordy about things that have been lost upon my tangled brain,
I will post a simple project,
in the hopes that simplicity will return to Tuesday,
(although that wind whipping outside just now sounds like it is a bit flustered by Monday as well.)



I had a little box,
nothing would it hold.

Actually, it was a cute little box I got at a yard sale or somewhere for a quarter or so.

I decided to use it as a sort of pedestal on my mantel for an old bird I found,
so I spray painted it with some silver spray paint,

and then mixed up some plaster of Paris into some white paint,

good and thick, mind you,

like mashed potatoes, or angel food cake frosting,

or something else unfood-like so I'll stop making myself hungry.

I taped a favorite stencil I had made from an image at the Graphics Fairy

and used on my living room cupboard.

I like to use Frog Tape for this because it holds VERY well,

but it doesn't pull up any of the paint with it.

I painted this thick as frosting paint onto the stencil

and carefully pulled it up,

wiping it after each use
before moving it around the box.

There were minor smears,

but perfection is not always worth the difficulty of attaining it on some things,

or so I tell myself.

It adds just a bit of different height to the mantel,
a sweet perch for the bird in her nest.


Perhaps I will fasten the troubles of Monday on her wings and let her fly away...

But now I'll go get some tea and sit by the woodstove and listen to the wind...

and ignore that puppy snoring on the couch,

and try to focus on the season,

realizing that many have faced annoyances and much greater frustrations,
a part of life for all of us on earth.


"And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea,
unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)
To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife,
 being great with child."

Luke 2: 4- 5

Yes, I have little to complain of...

and so I'll say,

'Goodnight.'



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A Sugar Bowl Full of Christmas Tree

My Christmas this year is a bit of a challenge

with a 3 year old who is intent on involving herself in every project I attempt

and a puppy who presumes he should do the same.

Do you know how many shredded bits of snowy stuffing I have picked up off the floor,

never knowing which one of the two has done it.

I realized yesterday after picking up the same five pieces on the living room floor about five times

that the puppy was watching me throw it into the trash can

and removing it as soon as I walked away.

So you can see why I decided to concentrate on the fireplace mantel.

I found a silver creamer and sugar bowl for about $1 at a yard sale,

probably because the lid was missing from the sugar bowl.

Wanting to do something with them,

I found cardboard cones left-over from thread I had used up.

(if you don't have a cone, one can be made by wrapping posterboard or heavy cardstock into a cone shape

or

there is a great cone pattern from Danielle's Place of Crafts and Activities

under her Feathered Christmas Tree Craft for Kids.

(This website has lots of GREAT craft ideas as well as actual lessons

 for Sunday School or home-schooling.

Be sure to check it out!)

I also grabbed some brown wool my sister-in-law had given me from her sheep,

a toilet paper roll,

my glue gun,

and some moss ribbon.

I started by covering what would become the trunk of my tree,

the toilet paper roll,

with the brown wool.

One could substitute anything for this:

a piece of felt,

burlap,

or just paint it brown.

Next I put some glue on the end

and sat it into the sugar bowl.

The glue from the glue gun did not want to hold it,

so I put a ring around it inside of the sugar bowl as well.

E6000 glue might work for a more permanent hold,

but I wasn't too concerned about it holding fast in case I want to use the sugar and creamer for something else.

I put some white wool around the bottom of it to fill in the sugar bowl

and give a snowy look.

Covering the cone was fun.

There were so many variations that could be done:

jute or heavy jute,

feathers

or

music paper,

yarn, lace, burlap, velvet, flannel,

fun patterned material;

it's endless, really.

But I had purchased some artificial moss last spring,

and thought it would add some variety to the white trees on my mantel.

Glue-gunning worked well for this.

This was an easy craft
that was finished in a small amount of time.







And they are safe up where no little hands or paws can reach them...


I hope.



Linking up to:
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Somewhat Simple, A Crafty Soiree at Yesterday on Tuesday, Thursday Favorite Things at Katherines Corner, Link Party at Centsational Girl, Inspiration Friday At The Picket Fence, The Best Christmas and DIY Crafts Ever at The Nesting Place, Link Party at Craftberry Bush, Feature Friday at Five Days 5 Ways, Clever Chicks Bog Hop at The Chicken Chick
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