28 Intentional Acts of Kindness

It's not technically my birthday until Tuesday, but we got started celebrating early! I started working on my "Acts of Kindness" on Friday and continued the fun today.

All in all, it has been a great birthday so far.  I can't explain how fun it is to dedicate an entire day...or weekend...to doing random things for random people.  Some of this stuff I would do throughout the year, but some of it took more planning than I usually care to commit to. Most of my normal "acts of kindness" are accidental and having to be diligent and intentional like this makes you think about and realize how much need for kindness there is in your everyday life.  The reactions from others always shocks me and shows me how much people need love and care, even from complete strangers...

For those of you that are curious, here's what the birthday activities consisted of:

1. I bought a Mama Kit from Mercy for Mamas in my mommy's name. I figured I'm celebrating my birthday and she did all the hard work, so we'd start there!

2. The kids and I dropped off some coloring books & crayons at a family doctor's office for kids waiting for their appointments.

This was Mason's view of his little sister while we drove around making our deliveries :)

3. We took a small care package (lotion, chapstick, & jolly ranchers) to an oncology office where patients recieve their treatments. I asked the receptionist to give the package to a patient that seemed like they could use a pick-me-up. I think this was one of the most special ones for me and the receptionist seemed genuinely shocked to get something so random, which made it even better.

4.  We dropped off some books to add to the library at the Lady Bugg House, a local organization that I just love.

5. We ate lunch at Chick-fil-A and we left some "boogie wipes" (moms should know and love those things!) in the bathroom.

I made these little notes to tie onto as many things as possible so that I could easily explain (or could explain in my absence) what was happening.

6. We took some shampoo by the Wichita Children's Home.

7. I prepaid for some gas on a pump at Dillons.  Gas had gone up 10 cents that day, so hopefully the person who pulled up next felt a little less pain at the pump!

8. We dropped off some cookies at the Mulvane fire department and thanked the fire fighters for keeping us all safe. The guy on duty was awesome and let the kids come back and see the trucks and even let them climb around for a while.  This was obviously the kids' favorite stop!

9. We left a few $1 bills in the toy section at Dollar Tree so some lucky kids could pick out some fun stuff.  The kids had fun hiding the bills, but I think Randal had more fun trying to hide his the best.

10. I taped some quarters to some gumball machines in front of the store.

11. I taped a small Dillons gift card to a cart for the next shopper. It wasn't much, but hopefully it helped a little bit!

12. I paid for the person's coffee behind me.

13. I gave up a killer parking spot and walked from the other side of the parking lot hoping that someone else would really enjoy that "I got the best parking spot" feeling!

14.  This one, admittedly, was not much of a sacrifice. I allowed myself some extra alone time to wander around the antique mall with the goal of finding a great gift for a sweet lady, which I did.

15. I gave directions to a couple that I overheard talking at the antique mall trying to find another store. I went ahead and butted myself into their converstaion and hopefully gave good instructions!

16. I pulled over and handed a water bottle to a runner who looked pretty tired.

17. I taped a coupon for a free appetizer to the door of a restaurant for the next customer to find.

18. I dropped off a free movie ticket at the Warren. My original intention was to hand it to a person waiting in line, but there wasn't anyone waiting to buy a ticket when I went in, so I had to just leave it at the window for the next person. The girl looked at me like I was completely crazy ;)

19. I picked up some trash in the parking lot at Century 2 on my way into the craft show this afternoon.

20. I made and delivered a meal for a family from our church.

21.  I made some people puppy chow that Madison helped me deliver to the neighbors in our cul-de-sac.

22. I left a little thank you gift for our server at my birthday dinner with my family this evening.

23.  I wrote a letter to a person who had a profound impact on my life, but probaby never knew it...this one was emotional...

24.  I sent a "hug" to someone in the mail (thanks Pinterest!)

25. I wrote a card to a missionary overseas.

26. I made a thank you note with a little gift for our mail carrier.

27. I gathered up some canned goods to donate to our church's food pantry.

28.  I got a LOT of help from my friends and family in collecting acessories for a girl who is raising money for an orphanage in Uganda. I will mail it all off to her this week and am so excited to continue to follow her progress this year! A huge thank you to all of the girls that donated items!


We ended Saturday by enjoying a meal at Red Lobster with my family, which is always lots of fun!  Thanks to everyone who helped make my birthday so great!

Mason's view of mommy while we waited for a table

Marc showing Kathy how to eat crab

My big helpers enjoying some good food