Research shows that those who perform acts of kindness become kinder, more
grateful and happier, which can spill over, creating a domino effect that can ignite a community.
Secret acts of kindness can restore hope and bring fresh strength to those who are desperate to believe that someone cares. Few things are as clear in scripture as the
biblical imperative to care for widows. Valentines Day provides a chance to show compassion and kindness to the widowed.
How do we change the world? One act of kindness after another. Hold a door, make eye contact and give a cheerful good morning. Give a compliment, a kind word, a pat on the shoulder or if you know them, a hug.
Some like to do an act of kindness, in secret, to honor the memory of a loved one.
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Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free. (Ephesians 6:8 KJV)
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WILL YOU SPEAK UP FOR THE WIDOWED?
- WHY AREN’T CHURCHES CARING FOR THE WIDOWED?
- Secrets the widowed won’t tell you, but wish you knew to help you understand why they act as they do.
- Facebook: A Heart for the Widowed
- IDENTIFYING THE WIDOWED IN A COMMUNITY
- IDEAS FOR VALENTINES GIFTS FOR “A HEART FOR THE WIDOWED” DAY 2016
Governor Mary Fallin’s Proclamation to recognize our widowed on Valentines Day coincides with the first day of Random Acts of Kindness Week, February 14, 2016.
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Secret acts of kindness can restore hope and bring fresh strength to those who are desperate to believe that someone cares.
Why not do one to honor the memory of a loved one?
…positive emotions like compassion and gratitude …. A person whose emotional state is one of gratitude is in an appreciative state of mind will act more trustworthily http://www.rd.com/health/wellness/sharpen-trust-instinct/
Tulsa, Oklahoma and Cushing, Oklahoma are celebrating “A Heart for the Widowed” for Valentines Day.
Encouragement provides hope and it is hope that empowers us to become more mentally, spiritually, and physically healthy.
Have you encouraged someone today? Maybe a kind word or compliment to someone in the aisle at the grocery store. A smile for someone who isn’t smiling. Waving someone to go in front of you.
Whenever we pass on an act of kindness it starts something.
The butterfly effect is the concept that small causes can have large effects.
We all need to realize is that we never know what kind of day the other person is having. A kind word, or a thoughtful nod, a simple acknowledgement of any kind can change a day, or maybe even a life for someone.
Dr. Harley Galusha and his wife, in Tulsa for six years at Christmases sponsored a Senior Holiday Ball, featuring free dinner and dancing for hundreds of elderly Tulsans. This was in the 1980s and early 1990s.. Would love to see this for Valentine’s Day for the widowed.
Every Kid is ONE Caring Adult Away From Being a Success Story https://chlss.org/blog/every_kid/
http://www.dailyliked.net/opening-doors-and-hearts/
This young man was bullied but with his acts of kindness his life changed to being someone the other kids looked up to, he was chosen prom king and he does public speaking.
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A study at Duke University Medical Center has led researchers to believe that they may have discovered why people perform random acts of kindness. It appears that altruism may not be learned, after all, but, rather stimulated naturally by a part of the brain that deals with empathy and an awareness of others.
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You can never tell when you do an act just what the result will be; for with every deed you are sowing a seed–though its harvest you may never see.
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Always show more kindness than seems necessary, because the person receiving it needs it more than you will ever know.
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Kindness is not just about being nice; it’s about recognizing another human being who deserves care and respect.
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You can never err by treating everyone with respect, thoughtfulness and a kind word. Every person has value and wants that value to be recognized. everyone needs appreciation and reinforcement. Taking care of others is perhaps the best form of kindness. – Colin Powell.
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“Giving Tuesday” https://www.givingtuesday.org started in 2012. It promotes donations and volunteering at charities. People post pictures of themselves doing something selfless. (Go to the link to see when it is this year.)
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You are one in 7.5 billion people in the world and it does not circle around you. Give to others.
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Look deeply into your spouse’s eyes for five minutes of silence then say “I love you. What can I do for you?”- unknown
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Just a thought: So many have done kind things for me in my life. If I had tried to pay forward just a single kindness for every act of kindness I had received over the years and each of those people did one the same, think how wonderful this world would be.
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Quotes on Kindness and Generosity
“Sometimes it takes only one act of kindness and caring to change a person’s life.” – Jackie Chan
“Do things for people not because of who they are or what they do in return, but because of who you are.” – Harold S. Kushner
“Carry out a random act of kindness, with no expectation of reward, safe in the knowledge that one day someone might do the same for you.” – Princess Diana
“Because that’s what kindness is. It’s not doing something for someone else because they can’t, but because you can.” – Andrew Iskander
“Remember there’s no such thing as a small act of kindness. Every act creates a ripple with no logical end.” – Scott Adams
Motivational Quotes
“Love and kindness are never wasted. They always make a difference. They bless the one who receives them, and they bless you, the giver.” – Barbara De Angelis
“What wisdom can you find that is greater than kindness?” – Jean-Jacques Rousseau
“You can accomplish by kindness what you cannot by force.” – Pubilius Syrus
“Kindness can become its own motive. We are made kind by being kind.” – Eric Hoffer
“Human kindness has never weakened the stamina or softened the fiber of a free people. A nation does not have to be cruel to be tough.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt
Compassion Quotes
“We can’t help everyone, but everyone can help someone.” – Ronald Reagan
“Kindness begins with the understanding that we all struggle.” – Charles Glassman
“A single act of kindness throws out roots in all directions, and the roots spring up and make new trees.” – Amelia Earhart
“Wherever there is a human being, there is an opportunity for a kindness.” – Lucius Annaeus Seneca
“Unexpected kindness is the most powerful, least costly, and most underrated agent of human change.” – Bob Kerrey
Thank You Quotes
“Gratitude is the inward feeling of kindness received. Thankfulness is the natural impulse to express that feeling. Thanksgiving is the following of that impulse.” – Henry Van Dyke
“Kindness is a passport that opens doors and fashions friends. It softens hearts and molds relationships that can last lifetimes.” – Joseph B. Wirthlin
“A little thought and a little kindness are often worth more than a great deal of money.” – John Ruskin
“The words of kindness are more healing to a drooping heart than balm or honey.” – Sarah Fielding
“Constant kindness can accomplish much. As the sun makes ice melt, kindness causes misunderstanding, mistrust, and hostility to evaporate.” – Albert Schweitzer
kindness-quotesInspirational Quotes
“Kindness is like snow- It beautifies everything it covers.” – Kahlil Gibran
Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love.” – Lao Tzu
“Kindness is the sunshine in which virtue grows.” – Robert Green Ingersoll
“Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.” – Mark Twain
“Kindness is more important than wisdom, and the recognition of this is the beginning of wisdom.” – Theodore Isaac Rubin
Positive Quotes
“Kindness makes you the most beautiful person in the world, no matter what you look like.” – Anonymous
“Kindness is always fashionable, and always welcome.” – Amelia Barr
“Kindness and politeness are not overrated at all. They’re underused.” – Tommy Lee Jones
“I’ve been searching for ways to heal myself, and I’ve found that kindness is the best way.” – Lady Gaga
“Three things in human life are important. The first is to be kind. The second is to be kind. And the third is to be kind.” – Henry James
https://www.randomactsofkindness.org/kindness-ideas
http://www.kindspring.org/ideas/
http://www.bradaronson.com/acts-of-kindness/
http://andthenwesaved.com/random-acts-of-kindness-ideas/
http://www.popsugar.com/smart-living/Random-Acts-Kindness-Ideas-34351861
https://www.guideposts.org/video/recipes/hersheys-chocolate-kisses-bouquet
RAOK for caregivers:
* Gather a group of his friends and decorate his house for the holidays.
* Cook a meal and deliver it piping hot in time to relieve the chore of preparing dinner
* Offer to pick up the prescriptions for the person who is getting care and deliver them.
* Write him a letter telling him you know of his sacrifices and you admire his perseverance.
* Pick up her kids and take them to whatever after-school events are on the calendar.
* Find a caregiving colleague at work and donate some of your vacation days to her.
* Bake him a plate of his favorite cookies-then offer to share and chat.
* If he longs to travel but can’t find the time, send over a collect of your favorite adventure books.
* Help tutor her children, or if pre-calculus gives you a headache, hire a tutor to give them a hand.
* Grave a couple of board games or a deck of cards and stop by for an evening of play.
* Get your kids or grandkids to draw an encouraging message.
* If technology frustrates her, send over a geek to get her devices working.
* Help rake her leaves, clean her gutters or cut her grass, or hire someone who can do those jobs.
* Buy some gift cards to his favorite restaurant and drop them off–or offer to take him out for a bite.
* Send her a bouquet of flowers on a day you know will be filled with more than the usual number of challenges.
* Find out his favorite television show and send over a boxed DVD set.
* Hire a credentialed massage therapist who makes house calls to see her in her home.
* Pick up a couple days worth of groceries and bring them to his house.
#BeKindToCaregivers
AARP Nov 2015
National Caregivers Month is in November
We never know how really strong we are until strong is the only answer.
Never underestimate the ripples that can be generated by one person’s actions (good or bad).
Negativity and hate are contagious. But so are positivity, kindness and courage.
I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. John 13:15-16
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If you are ever ‘down’ go do something kind for somebody. Whatever you do, will make you feel full of love inside. (Be sure to click on and read Sather Brown’s story below!)
You can help your fellow man without ever opening your wallet. All kindness counts. There are so many simple ways to give; here are a few:
REACH OUT WITH A:
• text to a friend and share something that you love about them.
• prayer – in text, email or via snail mail.
• card to a friend for no reason.
• handwritten thank you note to a person who has helped you in the past. (Even better….you would be surprised at what happens when you continue writing notes of appreciation at least once a week.
• call to a family member or friend to let them know you’re thinking of them and how much your appreciate them.
KIND WORDS
• Give someone a smile! Say hello!
• Acknowledge the cashier who’s helping you and genuinely ask them how they’re doing.
• Pay someone a sincere compliment. Give a compliment about someone who did service work or your waitress or waiter for you to his / her manager.
• Compliment a work colleague
SOMEONE LIVING ALONE (ESPECIALLY ONE WHO IS ELDERLY)
• Do something special on Valentine’s Day for someone who is alone. It they can’t eat candy, a rose or a small bouquet or a meal out would be greatly appreciated.
• visit an older person whom you haven’t seen in a while and have a normal conversation..) Time is the best thing you can give someone. Their families get busy. Make sure you allow enough time to sit and have a chat. Listen to stories about the good old days. Showing them that you care, by taking some extra time out of your day to visit with them will mean the world to them.
• help out a little bit. Trim your neighbor’s hedge. Sweep or shovel their sidewalk or driveway when you do your own. Help them carry the trash out or bring up their trash and recycle bin from the street. Change a light bulb or a smoke alarm battery.
• Take his grocery list and go shopping or at least call from the grocery store to see if you can pick up an item or two.
• offer a ride to church or if there is an event that would let out after dark, many will not return to a dark house at night, so offer to pick them up and take them so they can enjoy it….and when you bring them home, go inside with them to make sure everything is fine, before you leave. It is a comfort to have someone do that.
SUGGESTIONS FROM AARP TO HELP A CAREGIVER
• Take in his mail
• Shovel snow from her driveway or walk.
• Gas up his car
• Do a load of laundry
• Take her grandkids to a movie.
• Do some holiday shopping for him. They might want to order on-line and don’t feel comfortable.
• Stop by with a board game to play.
• Take him out for coffee
• Teach her a skill she admires you for
• Take his dog out for a hike.
• Drop off his packages at the post office.
• Water his flowers.
• Do his dishes.
• Watch a movie together.
• Do her dishes
• Volunteer to wait for her cable technician
• Mow his yard.
• Help him compose a letter.
• Wash his car
• Arrange for a housecleaning service to visit.
• Donate vacation days to a caregiving colleague.
• Replace her missing buttons.
• Cook and deliver a meal he likes.
• Clean her gutters.
• Replisnish his coffee supply.
• Bring ingredients and cook a meal with her.
• Drive his kids toa sports practice of game.
• Take her with you for a pedicure.
• Replace the batteries in his smoke detectors
• Send her a thinking-of-you card.
• Make her a mix CD or Spotify list.
• Take out his trash
• Give her a blank journal
• Arrange for a home organizer to help her.
• Help him plant (or weed) a garden.
• Tell her a joke
• Change his oil.
• Do an item on her to-do list. Bring him a copy of your favorite book.
• Drop off the Sunday paper.
• Register him with a fancy ‘food of the month’ club.
• Help with his tech issues.
• Fix his leaky faucet
• Buy him a grown up coloring book and crayons.
• Pick up her dry cleaning (edited by poster to add: or buy Dryel and do it for them).
• Rake his leaves.
• Play cards with him.
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SIMPLE COURTESY
•Give up your seat to someone who needs it more, not just an elderly person.
• Hold the door open for someone. (OK we should always do this but sadly some people weren’t raised that way.)
•Let someone in front of you at the grocery store, the bank or in traffic
• If you arrive at a stop sign at the same time as another driver, let them go first.
• Give another driver your parking spot.
• shovel a neighbor’s walk
• bring a casserole to a grieving person
• reach something for them from the top shelf at the grocery store,
• Talk with a child who seems sad
• Give a helping hand when you see someone carrying a lot of stuff; such as groceries or bags.
• Open the door for someone.
• Reach an item off a high shelf for someone.
• Help someone change their flat tire.
• Ask a person who looks lost at the mall if they need help.
• Help a mom with a baby
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SOMEONE GOING THROUGH A HARD TIME help someone in need.
•If you know someone who is having a hard time financially and you can afford to , pop $5, $10 or $20 in an envelope, disguise your writing or type the envelope, and mail it to them.
•contributing a few dollars towards expenses after a sudden tragedy.
•Send to a family experiencing hardship the same amount of money that you would have spent on a Valentine’s gift or a fancy dinner. Imagine if we all spent a little *less* money on loved ones who already have enough, and gave a little *more* to those in need. Spending as little as $5 on someone else could make us significantly happier, according to research done by the University of British Columbia.
• Use mealtrain.com to organize meal delivery for a family going through a hard time.
ANIMALS
• Play with pets in an animal shelter.
• Foster a dog or cat.
• Walk a sick friend’s dog.
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COMMUNITY
• Clean up obvious litter on your next walk.
• Remove debris or other obstacles from a road or path.
• Pick up trash in your neighborhood. Showing you care enough about your neighborhood and surroundings is a great act of kindness! Who knows, you may even make some new friends as they help you along!
• Gather a few friends and help clean up a local park.
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GIVE OF YOURSELF
• Give blood.
• Sign the back of your driver’s license to be an organ donor.
DONATE
• things that you no longer use or need—clothing, household goods, toys, books.
• old eyeglasses, stick them in a box or padded envelope and mail to New Eyes for the Needy. (For the address, go to http://www.new-eyes.org.)
• On your birthday, ask your Facebook friends to donate to a charity that’s important to you.
VOLUNTEER SOMEWHERE
• at an event at your kid’s school.
• with Meals on Wheels to deliver meals to those in need this Thanksgiving.
• at a local soup kitchen or food pantry.
• with a mentoring organization to help guide kids in your community.
• by helping your kid’s school start a garden.
• Offer to drive your teen’s teammates to sports games or practices.
• Read to people with low or no vision. (Get started through lighthouseguild.org.)
FOOD
•bake a small treat to community helpers– (Before delivering Cookies for a Nursing Home–or VA Clinic: They may be diabetic)
• Make a dish for a new mom or someone who lost a family member.
•Offer a piece of fruit or water to a delivery person.
PURCHASE
• a meal for a homeless person
• coffee or a soft drink for someone.
• a phone card and give to a homeless shelter for them to give to someone.
• a couple of umbrellas, blankets, and/or ponchos at a dollar store, and keep them in your trunk. When it’s a cold or rainy day, find a person who needs it (try a bus stop) and give them one.
FLOWERS
•Drop off flowers at your friend or neighbor’s house.
•Take flowers to a hospital ward for someone who hasn’t had any visitors. (Funeral homes should suggest this for all the flowers that the family doesn’t know what to do with after a funeral!)
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Check out these touching sites:
• Sather Brown healed his pain with Acts of Kindness: https://www.guideposts.org/inspiration/people-helping-people/everyday-greatness-he-healed-his-pain-with-acts-of-kindness
• https://www.randomactsofkindness.org/kindness-stories/4-raktivist-houston
• https://vimeo.com/150352772?from=outro-embed
QUOTES:
• Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see. – Mark Twain
• A good deed brightens a dark world…Author unknown…
• To the world you may be just somebody, but to somebody you might just be the world.
• There is no better exercise than reaching down and lifting people up.
• The smallest act of kindness is worth more than the greatest intention – Oscar Wilde
• Success has nothing to do with what you gain in life or accomplish for yourself. It’s what you do for others. – Danny Thomas
• We cannot just rely on others to make the world a better place – each one of us has to do our part.
• Show the same kindness to others that you would like others to show you….or better yet, to your mom!
MORE QUOTES ABOUT KINDNESS
https://www.brainyquote.com/topics/kindness
“When you’re helping someone, the feeling of satisfaction creates hormones, such as epinephrine, dopamine and serotonin, that generate a feeling of well-being,” explains Ilan Shapiro, MD, medical director of health education at AltaMed in Los Angeles.
Sincere praise is just another form of generosity. Offer a thank-you or a compliment especially those who aren’t appreciated enough, like the garbagemen, the UPS guy, the high school custodian or kids who seem left out. Not only does the act reduce your own stress, but it’s also free—and easy. “How hard is it to say, ‘Your hair looks lovely today’ or ‘What a great outfit’?” says Susan Newman, PhD, a social psychologist in New York City,
https://www.familycircle.com/family-fun/upsides-generosity/
Inspire, motivate, encourage others around you. Bless them. You may never know how much it means and how far they will go because of your kind words.-unknown
Your generosity toward others is key to your positive experiences in the world.
Know that there’s enough room for everyone to be passionate, creative, and successful.
In fact, there’s more than room for everyone; there’s a need for everyone. – Marianne Williamson –
Our days are happier when we give people a bit of our heart rather than a piece of our mind.- unknown –
I don’t know what your destiny will be, but one thing I know: the only ones among you who will be really happy are those who have sought and found how to serve.- Albert Schweitzer, to a group of schoolboys. –
In the end, what matters most is how well did you love and how fully did you live.
Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.- Ian Maclaren –
Let the beauty we love be what we do.
https://storycorps.org
Uploaded interviews become a part of the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress, and can be shared with family and friends.
Listen to how giving touched this homeless guy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DG94Txqnz7I&feature=youtu.be