Yellow Roses of Kindness

 I am a member of a Facebook group for people who have had a sibling die.  Way back in April, I posted this: 

 

“I live in South Arlington, VA, near Arlington National Cemetery. It is a beautiful place, and I sometimes go there to visit the gravesites of my in-laws.

 

Do you have a sibling buried there, but you do not live near enough to visit? If so, I would love to visit their gravesite for you and leave a flower. I would send you a photo. 

 

Just let me know. My sister is buried too far away for me to go visit, so I understand the feeling of wishing you could stop by but you can't.”

 

The way I look at it, living near the capital of the country is a privilege, and I try to use that privilege to help others when possible.  So, if I could use an hour or two of my time to visit the grave of a loved one and help someone feel even a tiny bit better, well then, I consider that time well spent.

 

A person who lives in California commented on my post.  She said: 

 

“I know it’s a bit further than Arlington National Cemetery but would you be willing to go to the police officers’ memorial for me and leave a flower?”.

 

Of course I said yes.

 

It has been 2 ½ months since that “yes”, and it has been weighing heavily on my mental to-do list.  So, this morning I decided that today was the day.  I was off of work, the sun was shining, and I had a plan - go to Trader Joe’s and buy a dozen roses.  I would use one of those roses to decorate the woman’s brother’s space on the memorial.

 

Great plan.  But what to do with the other 11 roses? 

 

Another plan – GIVE THOSE AWAY TO STRANGERS.

 

Now let me tell you this.  As much as I like to talk to strangers, offering them gifts out of the blue is a bit scary.  It just is not something that is normally done in our culture.  So, when you do it, you have to have thick skin and be ready for rejection, because not everyone is going to take you up on your offer, no matter what you are giving away.  Trust me on this one, I have learned that lesson. 

 

Anyway, step one:  TRADER JOE’S FOR ROSES.

 

But which roses??  There were so many!

 

Of course, there were classic red roses. 

 

Pink ones.

 

White.

 

Oh, the coral ones that I always love.

 

And yellow.  Bright yellow…

 

Today is Juneteenth, and there is some yellow/gold associated with that holiday.  So, even though I wouldn’t usually choose the yellow roses, today for some reason I did.

 

I checked out and then went to my “station”: I stood outside the door of the grocery store.

 

My plan was to offer roses to people as they left.  I thought giving them to people coming IN would be awkward – where do you keep a rose while you shop, and would it be confusing trying to explain to the cashier that it was already paid for by some random stranger?  So, target EXIT-ERS.

 

As I got the roses out of the cellophane and awkwardly stood alone in the sunshine, I felt uncomfortable…  Rejection was right around the corner.  Why do I put myself in those situations?  Flashbacks of the people thinking David and I were complete weird-os for offering them free pie on Pi Day…

 

Push through.  The sun is shining.  You have ROSES TO GIVE AWAY!

 

I smiled at a woman as she was coming out of the store and held out a rose.  “Here!  Would you like a flower?” I think I said, I can’t remember (see above – this can be a bit stressful…).

 

She smiled and took the flower.  Then she did something that really surprised me – she called me by name! 

 

“Susan?  I know you!!” she said. 

 

Turns out, she and I are in the same Buy Nothing group and she recognized me!  What are the chances that the very first person I offered a flower to actually knew me? 

 

Well then, rose number one given away and it went so well, I felt more comfortable.  I held out flowers and smiled, everyone except one person smiled back and accepted the gift.  One woman was especially happy and said that yellow is her favorite color.

 

I was focusing on women, but I decided to try a man.  I mean, the worst that could happen is he said no, right?  “Excuse me sir, would you like a rose?”.

 

He smiled awkwardly and shook his head no.

 

I countered, “Maybe you have someone that you would like to give it to???”.

 

The awkward smile was replaced by a genuine one as he accepted the gift.  “Why yes!  Yes. I do!” he said.

 

The woman from Buy Nothing returned and asked if she could take a photo of the stranger and I.  She later posted it in the group, saying, “Our very own Kindness Activist, Susan Thompson Gaines, once again spreading joy in the form of roses to unsuspecting shoppers. ”

 

How sweet!

 

I gave away 10 roses and decided to keep 2 to bring to the Police Officers’ Memorial.  I had never been and wasn’t sure what it would look like, so maybe 2 roses would be needed.

 

We waited out a huge summer storm, then went into DC.  The Memorial is beautiful – similar to the one for Vietnam.  Names of fallen officers are etched in stone and a beautiful fountain was flowing.  The woman whose brother is honored there had told me which section to look in, and it didn’t take long to find his name.

 

Doing kind acts like this one is truly an honor.  I looked up the man’s name in a directory at the site and learned that he died recently, 2023.  I thought about him and wondered about his life.  Who, besides his sister, did he leave behind…  I tried to make a rubbing of the name to send to the woman, but everything was still wet from the rain so it didn’t work.

 

As we were getting ready to go, I noticed 3 people across the way.  They seemed focused on one spot on the wall.  I guessed that they were likely there to honor a loved one who had died.

 

“Let’s take one of the roses and walk that way,” I said to David.  “If they don’t already have a flower, we can give them this one.”

 

Off we went, ready to hand the 11^th rose to a stranger.

 

As we approached, I saw that they had taped a photo of their loved one above his name.  He was young, as were the 2 children standing near us who had lost their father.  They looked like they were young teens. 

 

I commented on how nice the photo was.  I asked if they would like a rose to leave at the site and held it out.

 

The woman raised her hand to take it, but had a bit of a surprised look on her face.

 

“A YELLOW ROSE.  Yellow.  That is what he always gave me!  I don’t like red roses, he always gave me yellow…”.

 

The children smiled and repeated, “A YELLOW ROSE!”.

 

That’s when I knew why the yellow flowers called my name.  It was as if somehow the fallen officer was giving his love a rose again.

 

They thanked us.  We took some photos for them and said goodbye.

 

Roses for strangers.

 

Strangers outside the grocery store.

 

A stranger from the internet.

 

And a stranger who lost her husband.

 

Yes, roses for strangers.

 

That was the best $11.65 of Kindness Activist funds that I have spent in a very long time.

P.S. - I love to imagine all of the kindness ripples that took place today because of these flowers and this kindness...  The woman who did not get a flower because I didn't have one left to offer her, but still came up to me and said, "I saw what you were doing.  That was very, very kind...".  The man who was brave enough to take the flower from a stranger, who no doubt re-told the story of how he had it when he passed it on to his loved one.  The family at the memorial who are likely telling all their friends about the mysterious yellow rose...  And the woman whose brother was honored at the memorial.  Kindness ripples all around.  Gives me goosebumps.

 

 

 

Kindness Received, Given, and Received Again (all in one day)

I started the day filled with a long to-do list.

I end the day with only 2 items checked off the list, but a heart filled with happiness.

As I was rushing about trying to get things organized this morning, a neighbor came over to let me know that the little girls who have sold their art in front of their home previously were hosting a KINDNESS YARD SALE today!!!  Brilliant – the tradition is being passed down to the youngsters!  These are the same sweethearts who donated proceeds from their art sale to the Kindness Yard Sale, and now here they were having a sale of their own!!

I got some money ready (figured this was a cash event…) and went down to ask the youngest guest staying with us, Hareer, if she wanted to come to the sale with me.  I think “yard sales” are probably not a thing in Afghanistan, so she wasn’t quite sure what I was up to…  She seemed to want to come but wasn’t quite ready for her family outing so could not join me.

Fast forward a couple of hours – I had completely forgotten to walk across the street to shop.  Life had distracted me (damn to do list!).  But those 2 sweet girls who held the Kindness Yard Sale walked up on our porch and presented me with the proceeds!  Yes, they donated $25 to Kindness Activist!!  They were very proud (as was I!).  I love it that kids get it.

Tiny Kindness Activists

Another great thing happened today.  A neighbor has been contacting us every Saturday for about a month so that we can come “save” food.  Her work hosts events on Saturdays and always serves delicious food.  They order too much, she rescues what is left, gives it to us, and we find good homes for it!  She is out of the country for a month but arranged with her co-worker to continue the mission.  Today we rescued delicious chicken kabobs, rice, salads, and baklava!  There was more than usual so instead of delivering it all to neighbors, we stopped in DC to hand some out to people living in tents.  Most of the tents were empty – we figured because it was a nice day and people were out in the sunshine.  But we gave meals to 3 people and they were super appreciative.  I also gave a meal to a police officer who drove by as we were handing out the food.  

When we got home I posted the meals in my local Buy Nothing group and neighbors came to get them.  It was SO FUN when one couple came!  It turned out they were on their way home from the ceremony where one of them had become an American citizen!!!!  I rushed inside and grabbed tiny flags (pride flags, they are the only ones we have!) and the 6 or 7 people who were here at the time cheered and waved flags.  Cars driving by honked and waved – it was brilliant! 

Finally, we ran to Trader Joe’s tonight to pick up some pumpkins for an event I am hosting tomorrow.  The woman behind us in line looked tired.  She had a reusable shopping bag filled with roses, but for some reason I thought that maybe they were the flowers that were going to be thrown away and she had been gifted them.  I guessed that she was going to work on a corner and sell them.  Anyway, I could see that she was buying a bag of frozen dinner and 2 bananas.  I wondered if she was experiencing homelessness – but that is impossible to know for sure.  As our cashier was ringing up our purchases, she went to a cashier near us.  I went over to her area and, without saying anything, put in my credit card to pay for her purchase.  “What are you doing??” she asked rather sternly.  “Umm, I am getting your items for you,” I replied meekly.  “Why??” she asked.  “Because you look NICE.  You were behind us in line, and you look like a nice person.  I like to treat people to groceries sometimes…”  She looked at the cashier and asked, “Do you know her??” and he said, “She is a secret agent” and grinned.  The woman thanked me and I went back to our register. 

Then the woman approached ME.  In her hand were 3 beautiful red roses from her bag.  Now she was passing kindness on to me.  My heart swelled.

Total spent on her groceries:  $3.77

Total received from her gift of flowers:  not measurable

Kindness RECEIVED (and an attempt at giving...)

 

Some acts of kindness can blow a person away.  And that’s just what happened to me on April 1^st.

A little boy, Miles, and his grandpa, George, showed up at our front door.  Miles, age 3 ½, had something in his hand, something they wanted to give to me.  I showed him where the mail slot was and explained that’s where the mail carrier puts our deliveries.  I went back inside, closed the door, and waited for the envelope to plop through the mail slot.

Then I grabbed it and went back on the porch with them to open it. 

It was $100.

$100!  No strings attached.  $100 cash to do with what I pleased. 

It turned out George and Miles were on their first stop of a month of SPREADING KINDNESS!  George had made a plan to give $100 each day in April to someone.  To surprise them!  Well, he sure surprised me! 

Miles and his grandpa, George

He explained that I was the first recipient of his kindness.  He had heard about my Kindness Activist projects (like the Little Yellow Free Pantry) and thought I would be able to think of a creative and caring way to use the funds. 

I was taken aback!  It was as if the roles were reversed…  Usually I am on the giving side, not the receiving side…  And as George and I talked and brainstormed about other people/places he could surprise and treat during April, I grew more excited about the possibilities! 

I decided to hold onto the $100 until the end of the month because I wanted to see what George and Miles found to do with their envelopes.  Maybe one of their missions would inspire me in how I should use the money.  It felt like such a huge decision!!!  I wanted to make sure to use it in just the right manner to honor two kind people who had been so generous. 

Well, I got contacted yesterday that George and Miles were going to make a reappearance at our house.  They came the FIRST day of their project, and Miles had chosen me to get ANOTHER GIFT ON THE FINAL DAY!!  I was so excited this morning waiting and watching for them! 

Sure enough, at the appointed time they pulled up on Grandpa’s bike – Miles in his helmet and a special seat on the front.  (Later I would learn that Miles is in charge of ringing the bike bell if someone gets near the bike.  Big responsibility for a little guy!)  Just seeing the two of them made me smile so big!!  George gave Miles the envelope, and Miles scrambled up the stairs.  We repeated the game of putting it through the mail slot, and I was honored and delighted to find another “hunnit bucks” (as Miles says) inside!!  We talked a while and soon they were off to do another repeat surprise.

George shared the list of places he treated during his month-long adventure.  Here are some of them: 

-          Put money in 2 baby onesies at Goodwill

-          Slipped money under an ambulance’s windshield wiper

-          Taped money next to a sleeping homeless person

-          Put money in random bags of food being handed out at a giveaway

-          Donated to several very worthy organizations

-          Treated school lunch staff

-          And gave a great tip to a server!

That is just a few of the amazing ways they spread kindness.  You can see how careful and deliberate they were in their gifts, which is why I want to make sure I use what they gave me in just the right way.

And I really thought that I found the perfect opportunity to share the kindness this afternoon!  It was the same day as the gifters had returned, and I saw just the right opportunity (I thought).  It felt like kismet!

Through the kitchen window I could see a woman stopped at the Little Yellow Free Pantry.  The bags she carried made it appear that she may be homeless.  As I do whenever I see someone browsing in the pantry, I rushed out to greet her.  She looked about my age and was very sweet.  She said that because it is the end of the month, she was low on food.  Food stamps would come Monday. I explained that the food in the pantry is donated by caring neighbors and if she told me what she wanted I would go inside and make a bag.  She had seen a small container of chocolate milk in the pantry and said that was all she needed. 

And that is when she began teaching me the lesson – but I didn’t sense it yet. 

All of my, “No, really, there is a lot of food in the house, just tell me what you would like and I will bring it out for you!” utterances were met with her assurance that the small chocolate milk was all she wanted.

We continued our conversation – talking about how great the weather is, how nice the neighborhood is, etc.  I encouraged her to smell a rose on our bush – they are the sweetest smelling roses ever.  She talked about healthcare, yoga, meditation…  We talked about diet and what food means to people.  After a while my sweetheart David came out and joined us.  It was nice, the 3 of us standing and chatting.  It sort of felt like the “old days” pre-Covid. 

At one point she told us she “lives outdoors”.  I loved that expression.  It held dignity in a way that “homeless” does not.  It made me think she was not “less” a home, she was “more” an outdoor space.  As she let us into her world it was clear that there may be some mental illness involved.  Sometimes her reality and “normal” reality (“normal” was her word, not mine) did not seem to mesh.  I was so honored that she felt comfortable talking with us.  She eventually talked about being homeless – how it is different in each city she has lived in, and how in DC it is particularly dangerous.  I asked if she wanted to live outdoors, or if she would prefer to be housed.  She smiled and told us that if we had asked her that in the cold winter, she would have said housed, at least for a night.  But now that warm weather is here she is happy being in the open air.

As we talked, I thought of the money given to me this morning.  I felt THIS WOMAN was the right recipient.  Imagine what $100 could do for her!  A hotel for the night if she wanted – soft bed, warm shower…  A nice, warm meal.  Vitamins for her health.  A better bag to carry her things.  So many options.

I told her I had a couple of things for her and ran into the house to get scissors, a clothes pin, and $100.  I told her I was going to give her the rose we smelled, and she resisted the gift.  She said to leave it on the bush for other people to smell as they went by.  But I insisted, and cut it off and presented it to her with the clothespin so she could pin it wherever she wanted.

Then I pulled out the envelope with the money.  I explained that I had been gifted this just this morning to spread kindness, and I chose her to receive it.

Her gentle eyes looked at me.  She smiled.  And she said no thank you.

“I have a rule, a personal rule, not to take money from people,” she explained.

And all of my, “But it is for YOU!” and, “Here, I put it in the pantry, now you are taking it from there and not from me…” did not work.  She would not take it.

She explained that she did not need the money.  She was good.  And I think she was right - she looked content. 

I told her I would hold it for her.  I have written her name on the envelope and hung it on the refrigerator.  I suspect she will come back to talk.  I told her she can ring the doorbell anytime and ask for her money – if she doesn’t want all of it, maybe $20 or $5.  She smiled.  She knows it is there for her. 

I hope that the bad people in her mind quiet down.  I hope that she meditates as she walks, like she learned to do in another city.  I hope that she stays safe.  I hope she gets vaccinated.  I hope that she finds a quiet, warm place to sleep tonight.

And I thank her for the lesson.  Sometimes, even when it seems like you have almost nothing at all, you have absolutely everything you could want.

The Kindness Yard Sale Funds Are SPREADING!

It’s time for a KINDNESS YARD SALE UPDATE!!  Because the sale was soooo successful, there’s a ton of kindness to spread this year, and it is exciting!  So, let’s take a peek at the recent kindness that has gone down:

A woman named Tracey in my local Buy Nothing group posted that she was looking for white shoes to wear to nursing school.  Wait – what??  You can’t wear USED SHOES when you are learning to be a NURSE!  I pictured her standing on her feet all day, walking the hospital hallways, learning how to chart and take blood pressure, etc.  No, used shoes would not do in that situation.  She needed BRAND NEW ONES – shoes with good support and in perfect condition!

I contacted her and asked if it would be ok to get her some, and she was thrilled.  She looked online and found just the ones she liked.  I ordered, we waited, and VOILA – new white shoes!!!!

Nurse-to-be rocking her new white COMFY shoes!

Tracey - I hope nursing school goes great.  I know from experience that nurses are some of the most IMPORTANT people in the healthcare industry.  I bet you will be an awesome one!

(Spend on the nursing shoes: $64.26)

A neighbor sent me a message recently asking if I take nominations for people to receive kindness.  Hmmm.  The woman contacting me had both donated and shopped at the yard sale, so I didn’t have to think long before saying, “Well, sure!  What do you have?  I would love to consider it!”.  She explained that she had a friend who was feeling isolated during Covid.  My neighbor wished she lived closer to her friend so that they could visit in person, but wondered if perhaps a little kindness from a stranger would bring some joy.  That sounded like a perfect fit for a Kindness Activist act, so I started online shopping! 

Before long I landed on the website Uncommon Goods.  Boy oh boy, if you ever want to get someone an interesting, unique gift, check it out!  I asked my neighbor a couple of questions about her friend, then narrowed my search down to a few items.  My favorite was this bracelet, so I was glad it was my neighbor’s favorite, too! 

Here is the description of it from the website:“Shooting stars. Birthday candles. Found pennies. The perfect moment to make a wish doesn't have to rely on chance. Hidden within this bracelet's clasp is a secret compartment to stash your personal wish - whether it's a daily intention, a meaningful reminder, or exactly what you've been wishing for. Simply write your wish on a tiny bit of paper (a set of just-the-right-sized sheets is included), roll it up, and tuck it into the opening. Wear it as a daily reminder to keep at it and stay focused on your goal—because putting what you want out there is the first step in making your wishes come true. “

Just a few clicks, a little note to insert with the bracelet, and then we waited!! 

I was so excited the day my neighbor messaged me and said, “IT ARRIVED!  And she is trying to figure out who it is from!!”.  The mystery of it all made me giggle.  Eventually my friend revealed the back-story, and the bracelet recipient might even be reading this now!  If so, hope you liked your special gift.  I hope you wear it in good heath and tuck a special wish or dream in the secret compartment.  And I hope when Covid is over and you come to visit Arlington, I get to meet you!

(Spend on the bracelet - $54.64)

Website: https://www.uncommongoods.com/

You may remember a story I wrote about a young man I met at the Kindness Yard Sale and really took a liking to.  His name is Langston, and he is in the ASL (American Sign Language) club at his school.  I am an ASL interpreter, so I encouraged him to keep studying and come work with me someday!  The field needs more male interpreters and interpreters of color.

He and his mom bought several things at the sale.  One thing he picked out for himself was a Fit Bit.  He walked by a couple of weeks after the sale his dad and they stopped to chat.  I was thrilled to hear that Langston is using that Fit Bit every day!  His record is over 23,000 steps in one day!

Anyway, to continue to encourage him to study ASL, I used Kindness funds to buy him a t-shirt made by a Deaf woman.  It says “equal” in ASL.  It can also mean “equality”.  I thought it was really fitting with the Black Lives Matter movement happening now.  I wore my ASL shirt when we delivered Langston’s so we could take a photo together.  On mine, the “O” in the word “vote” is the sign for vote!  Isn’t it cool? 

EQUALITY!

(Spend on t-shirt - $24.45)

Website:  https://shop.spreadshirt.com/erryb/?fbclid=IwAR1MpPD49Nb1j2HEZg6-z9HqChi515eKFXe9PtZpUYO2tX_kCyGwkuPN5ZU

A woman in town is taking care of her mother who has memory issues.  That duo has such a soft spot in my heart - watching their relationship is beautiful.  When there was a little wicker desk/vanity left over after the Kindness Yard Sale, I hoped her mom could use it!  She likes to write cards and letters to mail to people.   Sure enough, it was a size and style that would fit in their home, so we put it in the back of our car and brought it to them.

But you can’t have your own DESK without a little PLANT on it…  So, we got a little potted mini rose bush.  And if you are going to have a desk, you need PAPER…  Got some memo pads.  And if you are going to write cards, you need CARDS!  Grabbed some cards. 

Desk with supplies - all ready for the new owner and lots of letter writing

It was very fun to drop everything off at the house.  Because of Covid we socially distanced and set it up in the front yard (they brought it in later that evening).  But we talked a while and the mom smiled.  She was very curious about the tiny roses.  And as we pulled away I saw her move the desk a bit so she could sit at a bench in the yard and “work at the desk”.  Made my heart very happy.

(Spend on desk supplies - $14.52)

And finally for this update – a MYSTERY GIFT!!!  I read somewhere that someone bought something for a stranger off of their Amazon Wish List.  I do not use an Amazon Wish List, so I wasn’t sure how that would work, but I called my big sister on video, shared my screen, and off we went!!  It was FUN!

We decided a BABY GIFT would be good, so we went to the Baby Registry.  Then I made up a name (a common-ish sounding name) and typed it in – VOILA!  There were about a dozen women with the name I entered who were having or had had babies and had wish lists!!!  We chose a woman whose baby is due soon (September 3^rd) who lives in Kentucky.  We could tell from looking at her wish list that she is having a boy, and it looked like it was probably her first baby. 

Nothing on her list had been purchased so we had lots to choose from!  We debated which route to go – diapers would be PRACTICAL but also maybe something local friends and neighbors would give her.  In the “go big or go home” department – we decided on the most expensive item on her registry – a video baby monitor!!  It looked really nice and I bet she will get a ton of use out of it.   And it is also something that would be hard to buy out of a pocket when you are also dealing with getting all of the basics.  We also bought a little board book about animals. 

New baby monitor for a brand new baby

We included a note that the money used to buy these gifts was raised at the Kindness Yard Sale in Arlington, VA and we had chosen her at random on Amazon.  The gifts were delivered this Saturday!  I wish I could have seen her face when she got them.  She doesn’t have my name or contact info, but who knows, maybe she will Google “Kindness Activist” and end up reading this!

(Spend on baby gifts - $179.83)

That's the 2020 update so far.  More Kindness Yard Sale news as it happens!! 

Roses, Botas, and MUCH MORE (Kindness Yard Sale Update)

I am pleased to report that more of the money raised at the Kindness Yard Sale has been used to spread kindness!!  Here is an update:

-          $7.99 was used to buy roses.  But not just ANY roses, special roses for a man in hospice to give his wife.  We know them just as the “puzzle couple”, because we always see them sitting at a table in the common room at the hospice putting puzzles together.  They saw us working on another project that I am going to use Kindness Yard Sale money for (I have not done it yet…) and asked what we were doing.  I explained it had to do with roses, and the woman smiled.  The man said that he didn’t want any flowers, thank you very much.  So, I said, “Well, what if I gave you a flower for you to give to your WIFE???”.  That idea seemed to make him happy!  His wife looked at me and deadpanned, “Well, if that happened, it would be the THIRD time in 51 years he gave me flowers!  The first time was when our first child was born.  I stayed in the hospital for 2 days and when he came to pick me up the flowers were dying.  He said they were a WASTE OF MONEY!  So, for the next baby, he bought me a PLANT.  He only gave me flowers one other time, for a Valentine’s Day”.  They are a very sweet couple and I knew it would make her happy to get flowers from her sweetheart one more time, so I picked up these roses.  I had him write her a note and tied it to the flowers.  He told me to leave them on the puzzle table where she would be sure to see them.  She was excited to be treated (and he seemed proud to be able to spoil her a bit, I am sure she is the one usually doing all of the caretaking since HE is the patient).

3rd time's a charm - 3rd time to give his wife flowers in 51 years

-          $42.09 was spent on boots, 2 hats, 1 pair of mittens and 1 pair of gloves.  This kind act was actually hard to pull off!!!  I am living in Omaha temporarily and it is very cold.  There has already been ice and snow.  I decided that I really wanted to use some of the kindness money to outfit a child for winter – coat, hat, snow pants, boots, whatever they needed!   With most of the other kind acts in this project, I have tried to not make them “need based” – because everyone loves to receive kindness, no matter if they NEED it or not!!  But for this particular one, I really hoped to find someone who NEEDED respite from the cold temperatures. 

      So, I headed to Walmart to try and find someone shopping for a coat.  But even though I strolled around and around that store for an hour, NO ONE was shopping for coats!  No one in the men’s, women’s, kid’s or baby sections!  I tried again another night at a different Walmart.  Then again at a Target.  Then a 3^rd Walmart!  I told my sister that apparently EVERYONE in Omaha already has a coat, because no one seemed to be shopping for them!!  But one night I finally found two little someones one that needed warmth.  

      A man, woman, and two little girls were walking through Walmart.  They were speaking Spanish and I saw them looking at warm work gloves for the father.  I noticed that both little girls had on old, dirty coats, but no hats.  In fact, the smallest girl was BAREFOOT. 

It was a freezing cold night, and this little child had naked, dirty feet.  It made me so sad. But             those little girls were not sad!  Quite the opposite, they were having a very fun time out 

shopping with their parents.  They giggled and ran and played while their parents shopped.

I wasn’t quite sure how to ask if I could buy the kids hats.  It wasn’t only the linguistic barrier – I wanted to make sure the parents felt RESPECTED and not pitied.  I picked up a couple warm hats that I thought the little girls might like.  One came with a pair of gloves, and I grabbed a matching set of mittens to go with the other hat.  Then I found some courage and went over to the family.  I only have rudimentary Spanish, so I could not really ask them properly if it would be ok for me to buy them the hats and mittens.  But I asked in English and a bit of broken Spanish, then gestured a lot and showed them the items.  The little girls’ eyes lit up!  They look at their mother for permission, and she smiled at me and nodded “yes”.  I told them (gestured…) to stay where they were and I would go buy the items and bring them back to them.  Which is exactly what happened!  I bought them, found the girls, and sat down with them right there in that Walmart aisle to take all of the tags off of their new stuff!  They put those hats and mittens/gloves right on and gave me 2 very big smiles!  It was beautiful!!

Pretty PINK winter wear

But that left the more obvious problem to deal with – the tiny barefoot girl…  She needed boots for winter, but I didn’t want to make her parents feel bad for bringing her out in public with no shoes on.  But I decided I couldn’t ignore it, and gestured to her feet and asked, “Boots??  Yes??”.  The mother smiled again and nodded, and I gestured to the girls to FOLLOW ME!!  The 3 of us marched Pied Piper-like to the shoe department.  They were all smiles and big eyes.  I asked the mom which size and we narrowed down our search to that size.  I started with SHINY PINK ones, which the little girl seemed happy with.  But I didn’t want her to take the 1^st pair I put in front of her – I wanted HER to pick her new boots!!  Eventually she spied these tan Ugg-style boots and pointed to them.  She and I sat down on the floor again and I put her dirty, naked little feet into those soft boots.  She smiled and modeled them.  Then we repeated the routine – they wait, I buy, I return.  I told the mom I knew the word “zapatas” for “shoes” in Spanish, but what was the word for “boots”?  “BOTAS!” the mom and girls gleefully told me!!!

As I finished my shopping I saw my new friends giggling in an aisle, new botas and all.

BOTAS!

 -  $5 was left on a bathroom wall!!  I met a friend for brunch at a hip Denver restaurant called “The Corner Office”.  After dining on delicious red velvet waffles, I excused myself to go to the restroom.  There I found this great wall full of colorful sticky notes, and extra sticky paper and pens to leave your own note!  Perfect!  So, I hung this:  I would’ve loved to be a fly on the wall when someone found it and seen what they decided to use it for.

FUN bathroom!

I wonder who found it...

   -  $51.04 was used to help make an immigrant’s Christmas more joyful.  My sister is living in a hospice house, and the cleaner there named Angelique is a sweet, elderly African woman.  She doesn’t speak much English, but always has a nice smile.  One day I figured out from the accent she has when she speaks English that perhaps FRENCH is her native tongue.  I called my sweetheart (who is fluent in French) and he played on-phone translator for me and Angelique!  She was so excited when he spoke French to her! 

She is from Congo and has no family here.  She told me, “You are my family”.  She does not interact much with the other staff or guests here that I see, and I imagine she may be quite lonely in America by herself.  So, I got a $50 gift card to Walmart and a nice card to surprise her!  Walmart is very near the hospice house and I bet she shops there sometimes.  I hope her holiday season is a little bit brighter because of this kindness.

A sweet gift for a sweet woman

- $5 was used to “help kids that don’t have moms and dads”.  My friend Tanya has two adorable little boys, and one of them, Sam, posted a plea video on Facebook. 

I mean, after seeing THAT, how could I NOT share some of the kindness money with him??  He was doing a super kind thing of HIS OWN!!!  Sam surpassed his monetary goal and is well on his way to being an amazingly kind human.    

-          $20 was donated to help a woman rebuild her café after everything for it was stolen.  Her name is Sandra Rivers and she is a CODA, child of Deaf adults.  She had a dream to build a café where Deaf people could socialize and there would not be linguistic barriers.  Her own parents have died, but she wanted to build “Deaf Delight” for other Deaf people.  Just 3 days before her insurance for the business started, she was robbed of everything.  She has not given up her dream, but she used her life savings to buy the equipment that was stolen, so is hoping to fundraise money to start over. 

-          $5 was used to purchase then donate a handmade bead that will be used in the “Beads of Courage” program.  I had never heard of the organization before but they had a booth set up at an art event that we went to and they sound amazing!  Participating hospitals give each child who has to undergo procedures (pokes and sticks) a handmade bead for each procedure!  Kids who have very serious illnesses have looong strings of beads!  The children can play with them, wear them, or just use them as a symbol of comfort and strength for all they have been through.   See more about this unique program here:  Beads of Courage website

-          And finally for this report, $41.07 was used to “Be a Santa to a Senior”.  A grocery store had a Christmas tree with paper ornaments adorning it.  Each ornament had a “wish list” from a senior citizen of what they would like for the holiday.  I looked the wishes over and decided to choose Paul.  His wants were very simple – a book and one white t-shirt.  

Tree of Senior wishes

      On the other ornaments people were hoping for things like iPads and DVD players, but Paul must be a simple man who enjoys simple pleasures.  I liked that!  And I figured, since he didn’t ask for much, I should spoil him a bit…  So instead of ONE white t-shirt, he got a whole pack.  Plus the book he wanted (which looks good by the way).  Plus a box of chocolates.  Plus 2 fancy candy canes.  HAPPY HOLIDAYS PAUL! 

Paul is a man who knows what he wants.

Another $10 donation came in (thanks!!!), bringing the total raised for Kindness from the yard sale and donations to $1565.76.  $24.26 of that remains to be used, and there is a bit that has already been used but not written about here yet!  If you would like to help this project continue, donations of any amount are appreciated.  You can PayPal them to:  thompsongaines@msn.com or contact me at kindnessactivist@gmail.com . 

I hope this project inspires YOU to go out into the world and spread kindness.  Because every little bit makes the world a better place.