40 Acts of Kindness Summary

Hey guys,

A belated Happy Easter!

Sorry it has been a while- I just decided to wait and do one post to do to summarize my 40 acts of Kindness Challenge.  I am happy to report that I have completed my Lenten Kindness Challenge- with the exception of one final act:
Planting a Tree/flower- the weather has not been on my side and I am waiting to do this until it consistently warms up- who knows this one may have to wait until June!

But here is a summary of the rest of the items on my challenge list:

• Clean up litter- I did this in our grocery store parking lot
• Bring Flowers to a friend- I did this twice for two different friends 
• Compliment someone- completed twice with two work friends 
• Make dinner for a friend- I did this one 5 times throughout Lent for a few different friends
• Donated Food to the Lebanon Food Pantry 
• Make a Donation to a Charity-I donated money to 2 local charities 
• Leave a generous tip- Completed for my birthday dinner out with my husband 
• Let someone go in line in front of you- Completed at least twice- at the post office and at Starbucks 
• Hold the door for someone- Completed 4 times- this one was cutting it close the last one was  Easter morning at Church
• Write a letter to a friend- Completed twice
• Bring Co-workers a special treat- Completed twice 
• Buy Someones lunch- Completed one time- I bought my friends lunch when we were out shopping one afternoon
• Donate Used Clothing- I donated some clothing and other items to the Vietnam Vets
• Plant a tree/flower- To Be Completed as soon as the weather is consistently warm
• Be an active listener to someone who needs to talk- Completed
• Give a Thank you note- completed two times
• Donate Blood- My husband and I both donated blood on April 12th
• Make Breakfast for my husband- My husband is very lucky I did this three times throughout Lent
• Say Good Morning and smile- I think I did this really almost everyday but I know I completed it at least four times
• Thank and praise a co-worker for their good work- Again this a grey area because I think I did this a few times but I only noted doing it one time

Adding up all the acts we are at 39 plus one TBD- when Spring officially arrives and sticks around for a while!   

Here is what I have taken away from this challenge.  I had a good time with this; it felt very rewarding to do simple acts of kindness for others.  It was fun to surprise a friend with flowers, to make someone's day by just letting them go in front of you in the coffee line.  Taking the time to write an actual letter to friends who I don't get to see often is important to help us stay in touch and connected.  I hope all of these acts made people smile and brightened their days- and perhaps they passed on the kindness to others- I don't really know but I hope so!  :)  

My favorite act that I did on this challenge was I took flowers to my very best friend that has unfortunately passed away. I had not visited her in way too long.  While it is always hard to go and see her, it also brings me a strange sense of peace. I was able to talk to her, tell her I miss her, and would give so much just to have a stupid conversation and hear her laugh about everything and nothing one more time.  Somehow going to see her- makes me feel more connected to her again and know that she is still a part of my life and is looking over me and my family. 

I think I will do this again next year I'll keep some of these acts and try and come up with a few new ones.  Having my acts out on a list made me take the time to think about them and start doing them again-like saying good morning- I always mean to say it but sometimes I jump right into working I forget- having the list just made me more aware. Over the next few years our little guy can become gradually more involved and help with some of them- I think it will be very rewarding, fun and educational for him and our whole family. 

Thanks for going on this journey with me and helping me complete my Lenten Challenge.

I'll get back to my "normal" blog posts now- we are getting ready to travel for the first time with little man- so hopefully I'll have some tips and/or lessons for you on that soon! :)

JS