Introducing The Kindness Chronicles

Remember back in in December when we were focusing on making the world a better place through simple acts of service and kindness?

Well I'd like to introduce a new, on-going feature on my blog.

When I was interviewed by Rice' Freeman-Zachary about the project for her podcast, she asked if it was going to become an ongoing project. I hadn't thought too much about it. I really do try to keep service in mind all the time so I didn't think of it as a "project" but of course I'd love to keep it going.

Small kindnesses mean a great deal - the last group I taught for left me this lovely flower to brighten my hotel room.

Leave it to a go-getter like Jane LaFazio to push me into getting things done. Or actually, to go ahead and make plans and get things done whether I've got my rear in gear or not. She put together this beautiful button and suggested that we post on the first Sunday of every month, telling about some of the little acts of service we've done. We're not trying to brag - at all - just give you all more ideas that you can try as well. Really - it's fun to do little things that brighten someone's day.

Would you care to join us? If you'd like to add this lovely little button to your blog please go ahead and copy and paste this into a widget for your sidebar. It's got the html embedded to link back to this explanatory post.





If you send me a link to your kindness blog post I'd love to list it in my next Kindness Chronicles post. It's so easy to bring a smile to someone's face. Let's make the world a better place, shall we? 

I Love ... Simple Kindnesses

It's often very small things that bring joy to my life.

Valentine by MaryAnne Durr

For instance - the people in my neighborhood wave to each other as they drive by. I haven't seen it out and about in my town and it didn't happen in the neighborhood we lived in before this. But it happens on the streets where I live. It makes me happy.

Postcard by Hannah Koch

On a day when I received two rejection letters from art shows I also received this beautiful piece of art in the mail, a postcard with a little thank you note on the back from the lovely and talented Hannah.

When one of my children says "thank you" for a task that is usually invisible it makes me just go all twittery and happy. Smiles make me happy. Surely I can return the favor and perform some simple kindness for the world. Yesterday I bought a bouquet, took out one flower at a time and handed them to everyone I saw until the ran out. With a smile and a "Happy Valentine's Day". It went well this time.

What SIMPLE KINDNESS will you give to the world today?

Joy in Service - Day 4 Let's Make it BIG!

Sandy Snowden linked my blog to hers and asked her readers to come along on this ride and it gave me an idea. Lets all do it...  kind of a Pay It Forward thing.

Random acts of beauty, kindness, and service.

(It's certainly not an original idea, and certainly not mine - but it helps to be reminded.)

Ask your blog readers, your twitter followers, and even your facebook friends to do it too.

One kindness, one act of service a day.

It can be as small as a smile and a wave.

It can be as big as making a quilt for a charity.

Take this button and pass it on. Then come back here and tell me what you did.

Yesterday you did wonderful things like letting a friend cry on your shoulder, sending a note, walking through someone creative discovery, praying.
Yesterday I did something as small as gave my son a back rub when my first inclination was to give him a tongue lashing.

How did you make the world a better place?
(and didn't it make you feel great!?)