In November 2011, Felicia was newly
separated from her husband. She had
three young kids, a stressful job, and was just starting to learn to navigate “solo”
in the world (insert deep breath). But
she also had some super supportive friends who were bound and determined to
make this transition easier for her.
Here is what she told me:
Felicia and kids in Disney - she thought THIS was the big event. Little did she know what was waiting for her back home... |
“Despite the challenging times, I had
planned a Disney trip for my three kids and me. It was my first big adventure
as a single parent. We spent a wonderful week in Florida, during my birthday
week (WINNING!!) and returned home to a
most wonderful surprise. A group of 10-15 of my close friends had gotten
together and coordinated a mammoth effort to clean my home and give it a bit of
a makeover. They greeted us as we pulled into the driveway. I had no idea what was in store - I just
thought they were welcoming us home with balloons and flowers. But then they
proceeded to walk me through the house and show me all of their hard work. It
looked like a model home, staged for
the real estate market! Every room had been cleaned and re-organized and all of
the clutter was gone. And the best part was – there were love notes left in various cabinets and drawers throughout the
house, to remind me how loved I was.”
SURPRISE!! Welcome home to your clean, love filled house!! |
Isn’t that an amazing and kind
surprise??? Her friends are
awesome!! They were people from all areas
of her life - her family (Mom, sister and sister-in-law), sign language interpreter
friends new and old, close girlfriends who had been supporting her through the
separation, even some friends she had known since elementary school. They
all got together to make her life not only cleaner, but less stressful and more
full of love.
When I asked her how the big surprise made
her feel, she said, “I was speechless...awed...humbled. I felt like I had
just won the Publisher's Clearinghouse Sweepstakes! It was like they were standing at my door
with a big check for me. I was surrounded in so much warmth, love and support. It
was truly the most amazing kindness I had ever experienced.”
Facebook status after the big CLEAN HOUSE reveal :) |
I asked Felicia to consider how her
friends must have felt after surprising her.
She explained it so well, “When someone is going through a difficult
time in life - divorce, loss of a loved one, loss of a job, etc, people often
don't know what to do or how to help. I was at one of the lowest of the low times
in my life, and while I knew I had an amazing support system in place, people
didn't know what to DO for me. This was how they could help - they
sacrificed their time (and their hands and knees) to scrub my house from top to
bottom and make it a warm welcoming place for my kids and I to return to. They
wanted to help and they sure did. They showed their love and support. I can
only imagine how such a selfless act affected each and every one of them.”
The main premise of this Kindness
Activist project is that when we hear about kind things that others do or
receive, we are in turned inspired to be kind.
So I wondered if RECEIVING this amazing, generous kindness made Felicia
want to “pay it forward” and be kind to someone else. I was not surprised when she said, “ABSOLUTELY!
Most definitely!”
She says, “While I have always had a
giving spirit, I was in a tough spot and really couldn't even take care
myself. But this act of love reminded me
that I was going to be ok and that I was strong. It revived me. There
hasn't been another experience in my life that parallels this act of love and
kindness in terms of the power it had to lift my spirits and make me feel
loved. I am still humbled by the kindness they each contributed to. And I know today as much as I did then, that
I am a lucky girl and that I have some AMAZING people in my life!”
This photo of Felicia and kids captures it perfectly - L O V E. |
Well Felicia, I agree with you. That was an awesome gift of kindness that
your friends and family gave you. Thanks
for being willing to share it with us and inspire OTHERS to be kind.
If YOU have given or received kindness,
please tell me about it! I would love to
be inspired by your story. Email me at kindnessactivist@gmail.com . And “like” Kindness Activist on
Facebook!
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