Kindness - Pass It On - A Challenge

February is the month of Love. 

Obviously, it is also the month of Kindness.  The two go together well.

It is easy to do kind things for those we love.  The challenge?  To do something nice for a stranger, or someone who doesn't seem to like us, or someone who has been rude to us in the past - that is a challenge.   

Below is a link to the 2016 acts of kindness challenge.  Please participate, especially if you have children, or work with them.

http://www.coffeecupsandcrayons.com/join-the-100-acts-of-kindness-challenge/


Years ago, I was on my way home using public transportation.  The transfer stations had automated kiosks where you could insert your cash or credit card to buy a ride.  I was using a machine next to a woman who was desperately searching in her purse for change.  She was getting emotional, her train was due any minute, and she didn't have enough on her pass to reach her stop.  I asked her how much she needed.  Her accent was so strong, I had to ask her to repeat her answer several times.  Finally, I realized she was only a quarter short of her fare.  I had a handful of change, so I gave her a quarter.  No big deal to me, right?  She was frantic, wanting to know how to repay me.  Seriously, as though nobody had ever done anything kind for her in her life!  I explained to her that my 'folks' would just do something nice for somebody else because 'pass it on' was a way of life for us.  She was baffled.  It just did not translate. 

She had to run to catch her train, I was going the opposite direction.  I never saw her again, but I've always wondered if the 'pass it on' concept ever got through to her.  I wonder whether anybody else ever did anything kind for her.

I would not have survived this long without the kindness of others.  I've known that most of my life.

Please do me a favor....  In the comments section below, tell me about how someone did something kind for you - or about you doing a kindness for someone else.

2015 - in review

Happy New Year!

2015 was a tough year for me, having been sick with pneumonia, ear infection, gland infection, bronchitis, vitamin and mineral deficiencies, etc.... so I was in a zombie like stupor for a few months.  I'm feeling much better now, and have even joined a gym!

I have also done a lot of reading, mostly on my Kindle.  I've read all of Diana Gabaldon's books - the Outlander series, the Lord John series, etc.  She is about my age, and a prolific writer!  I'm still trying to write a short story for my brother and after five years, it is still not much more than an outline!

I've also done a bit of quilting - finished a twin size quilt for my grand's graduation.  This is the Celtic Solstice, started in 2013. That was the biggie - it started as a Bonnie Hunter mystery - she does a mystery quilt every year - posts run from the day after Thanksgiving through New Year's Eve.  Some people start posting finished pics within a week of the last clue... some of us post our pics a bit later, if ever!  The mystery is available as downloadable pdf files for a few months after it is published, then she takes it down.  These mysteries are often published in her next book, so it is a very generous thing for her to give it out free well in advance of printed publication.  It is also a fun way to make a big quilt, which often seems overwhelming, and use up a lot of stash fabrics.  She makes big quilts, but also allows for half size quilts. 

Here is my version of Celtic Solstice:

I don't think I have any orange or green left in my stash, which is okay with me.  In the future, I'll only buy green if and when I need it, since green varies so much from year to year, and it seldom plays well with others.

I also finished this little 4 block lap quilt for my bro & his wife recently - it was supposed to have been a Christmas present, but they received it in January... it's never too late to receive a present, right?

Hope your January is going well.  See you next month!