Kindness, Week Thirty Two

It's a few days late, but here's this week's kindness post!

August 6- Wrote letters. This was the day that I hand-wrote letters to all ten of my sponsor kids! I tried to extend some extra kindness in these letters by specifically asking about my kids' siblings, checking in on them if I know about them, and trying to find out more about them for the future. I want to be able to pray for them by name, and I think I'd like to try to send an occasional treat to some of them, as well! Like Tasya's little sister, who I imagine is basically a mini-Tasya, following her around. Maybe I can find them some sister paper dolls or stickers. : )

August 7- Donated a DVD. There is a foster care organization in my city called Maryhurst. They take care of kids (almost all girls) who are wards of the state. They have a main campus with several dorms, and then they have a few group homes scattered around the city. One of them is pretty close to where I live and work, so the girls sometimes visit the library with a staff member or two. I have met many girls who live there over the years, but this crew that's there now is really special to me. I love talking with these girls about movies and books, encouraging them to read, and just listening to them. We are going to do a fundraiser for them soon, but I gave them a treat the last time they were in. I found a movie on sale pretty cheap on Amazon (Mr. Popper's Penguins- family friendly, and featuring animals, which is a plus for these girls!) I kept it in my locker at work until I saw them again. Only two of the girls came in on this evening, with one of the staff members, so I put the DVD in an envelope and gave it to him to take back to the home. I hope I get to see some of the girls again soon- they haven't been in since this night! If there are any group homes or children's homes where you live, I encourage you to look them up online and see if they have a wish list of items! Not only do they accept things like movies and craft supplies, but they have a great need for clothes, toiletries, and things like that, as most of the kids arrive at institutions like those with nothing but the clothes on their backs.

August 8- Mailed a surprise. My cousin recently decided to sponsor a child, which I am very excited about! On this day I mailed a sponsor folder to her- filled with stationery, stickers, a postcard from our zoo, and some info about Compassion. Melissa's sponsor child is named Cinderella, so I decorated it with Cinderella stickers. : )

August 9- Left a present in a coworker's locker. Our summer reading finale party was August 10, and I did not work it this year. It gets really hectic, and I don't like being there on that day. I would have been working, but since I'm still on restrictions at work, it just worked out better for me to work the day before. My best friend Jess was surely in for a crazy day on the 10th, as she is our children's librarian and has a lot of pressure on her. So I got her a little present (a keychain that looks like Uncle Si's tea glass, from Duck Dynasty!) and made her a card that basically said "you did it! It's over! You're awesome!" I put all this in an envelope and marked it "do not open until 5 pm on August 10", and left it in her locker! As I predicted, she did have a crazy day, and she really appreciated it. I'm glad I could do a little thing like that to make her day brighter!

August 10- Bought mom some ice cream. My mom and I got to go grocery shopping on this day, and we spent the day together. She has had a pretty stressful two weeks or so, so I tried to make it a good day for her, and that included forcing her to pick out some ice cream when we went to the grocery.

August 11- Treated Kelli to dinner. I like to say I have more than one best friend- I have a best friend I see all the time (Jess) and a best friend I hardly ever see (Kelli.) Kelli and I have been friends since middle school and I love her dearly. Since we are grown up and have responsibilities now, we don't get to see each other very often, but I treasure those times I do get to hang out with her, laughing and watching TV. Kelli's birthday was the 14, but we celebrated on this day. I made a pan of brownies and we went out to pick up dinner at Moe's, then headed back to my place to watch some funny TV!

August 12- On this day I just wrote "nail polish" in my little notebook. I love nail polish, and so do some of my coworkers. I don't buy the expensive kind, but sometimes I just can't resist getting a bottle or two when I go to the store to get other things, especially if they have new colors! Every once in a while, when I see a pretty new color, I'll get an extra bottle and bring it to one of my friends at work. So that's what I did on this day.