Showing Kindness

How do you show kindness to others? 

I believe in showing kindness to others.  There are so many ways we can show kindness to others.  Here are a few I like to do. 

This is something I strive daily to do.  I like to smile most of the time.  I find it makes both others and me feel more comfortable and content.

When I see service men and women in uniform, I thank them for their service.  They have written a blank check to protect my freedom, the least I can do is say "Thank you."

I have always been one to open doirs for others and offer my seat.  These little acts can be just the ticket to brighten someone's day.

Recently, I decided to take another step. I made small bags with hard candies and my business card to hand out as a thank you wherever I go.  I handed a few out for the first time yesterday. My kids and I were at Five Guys enjoying our hamburgers.  I saw how hard the crew was diligently working to serve customers.  I gave them 2 small baggies with hard candies and my business card. I let them know I appreciated their hard work and wanted to say thank you. My kids were a little embarassed, but the manager smiled bright and said thank you when I handed them the baggies. 

It may be hard at times to walknup to a stranger and say "thank you", smile, take the time to open a door for someone, or offer your seat, but it may be just the thing that person needs to know kindness exists. 

How do you show kindness to others?

"We love because he first loved us." 

1 John 4:19

You are so precious!

In case you haven't discovered yet, I am a big fan of Dani Johnson.  She is a real bootstrap girl.  She was raised in the pit of hell by parents who were drug addicts.  She was abused in every way possible.  However, instead of accepting the lie, she was not meant for any more, she defied it with the Truth!  She is a child of the King of King, the Maker of the Universe.  Who loves her so much, he reached down, dusted her off, and sent His only son to die for her sin.  We are so precious to Him, He knows every hair on our head, and is not willing to lose any of us, therefore, he reaches out for us, all we need to do is grasp hold and follow Him.

Like Dani, I came from rough early years, not quite as bad, but from a family where physical and mental abuse took place. I believed the enemy's lie, I was unworthy.  However, God reached down, dusted me off, and reached me in a personal way, letting me know His son died for ME!  I am so special to His heart, I know He would have sent Yeshua (Jesus) to die for only me.  I am truly His child!

If you want to live up to your potential, reach out for your Creator.  He loves you and reaches out to you, you only need to take hold.

What Do You See

Have you ever noticed we tend to see the worst when we look in the mirror, or see a picture of ourselves?  I was reminded of this today.  I shared some pics on Facebook of my husband and I in Bisbee, AZ, where we visited over the weekend with two of our kids and a French foreign exchange student visiting with us. My friends commented how handsome and buff my husband looked. My husband was more critical and voiced  very different comments about his looks in the photo.  I showed him some of the comments my friends posted, he was very surprised.  Funny how different we see ourselves!  

Maybe, instead of criticizing ourselves, we should purposely look at our reflection and make note of at least 2 things we like in the mirror, and write them down.  Every week we could add another thing we like about ourselves.  If we catch ourselves being overly critical, we can recount the positive things we saw, thus reminding us of our good qualities.  

What are other ways we can dispel the poor self talk we often engage in?  Leave your answer in the comments section.

Foreign Exchange Student

We have a foreign exchange in our home from France. She is here for 10 days.  What a blessing! She is kind, sweet, and respectful.  It is awesome learning about France and the French language from her.  It is also interesting to see our American culture through her eyes.  

I love new experiences, and learning other cultures.  If you ever have a chance to host a foreign exchange student; I highly recommend it!!