Wednesday, November 12, 2008

How Do You Help?





"Practice Random Acts of Kindness and Senseless Acts of Beauty"

A random act of kindness is a purportedly selfless act performed by a person or persons wishing to either assist or cheer up an individual or in some cases even an animal. There will generally be no reason other than to make people smile, or be happier. Either spontaneous or planned in advance, random acts of kindness are encouraged by various communities. An oft-cited example of a random act of kindness is, when paying the toll at a toll booth on a highway, to pay the toll for the vehicle behind you as well.

Here are just some ideas that you can use to "Practice Random Acts of Kindness"

Buy a meal for a young couple or family sitting next to you at a restaurant. Leave the Kindness card with the waitress to give them after you leave. It is a nice surprise they will never forget. It may even make them consider the mortality of their own children and lessen what time they may take for granted.
Partake in a Christmas Angel Program. Leave the card so they know your motivation of love!
Buy shoes or clothes for a family in need.
Bake cookies for a neighbor or teacher, just because.
Help an elderly person with yard work or grocery shopping. Many elderly people have a story or two to tell about their own baby that died many years ago.
Visit a nursing home and bring cupcakes. Sit and visit with a few of the residents. You'd be amazed at the loving reception you will receive as many residents rarely receive visitors.
Sign up to participate in a program such as Feed the Children. Your Kindness card will tell them the story of why you are doing this.
Donate to your favorite nonprofit group on your child's birthday or death day. Ask family members and friends to do the same.
Volunteer your time at a local homeless shelter or a crisis nursery.
Buy a new calendar for a workmate.
Donate some grief books to the library or a local support group.
Leave an extra large tip for your food server!
Buy the meal for the person behind you at the fast food drive through.
Leave a bouquet of flowers on someone’s front door step.
Bake goodies and take them to the police station, fire station, or hospital.
Pay a local teen to mow an elderly neighbor’s yard.
Crochet a baby’s blanket and take it to the hospital nursery. Premature babies can always use tiny booties and caps.
Buy a balloon bouquet and ask the nurses the children’s hospital to deliver them to a child.
Make a memorial donation to honor your loved one and a friend’s loved one.
Take a box of doughnuts to an elementary school for a classroom.
Plug someone’s parking meter.
Go to the post office in mid December and ask for of the “letters to Santa” that they get every year. Buy and send the gift on Christmas.
Adopt a street or just pick up litter in the neighborhood.
Leave your change in the soda machine for the next person. It's a nice surprise.
Buy coffee for the person standing behind you in line.
Write to management at places where you get especially good service and commend them (specify names!)
Tape a quarter to a pay phone with a note welcoming anyone who needs it to use it.
Adopt a family through a social service agency, not just at Christmas. People go hungry all year.
Plant a tree or some flowers for a local church. Perhaps offer to “build” a Memorial Garden.
Volunteer at a local shelter, crisis nursery or soup kitchen. This will give more to you than you can imagine.
Volunteer to read to children at your nearest library.
Send your child a note in his lunchbox. Remind them how special they are to you.
Organize a large toy, clothing and diaper drive for a crisis nursery.
Pay for a small child's candy at a convenient store.
Pay for someone's toll and/or gas.
Look for opportunities to open the door for someone or give up your seat for someone.
Buy lunch for the couple or family sitting next to you as you pay your own. Be sure to be secretive!
Buy a toy for a child in the store and ask the clerk to deliver it after you’ve gone.

It is important to do these acts "anonymously". You will not need recognition to feel good about what you've done. You will know in your heart that you've done something special to make someone else's life better.

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