25 Days of Kindness: Day 25 Christmas Workers

I can't believe it's Christmas and that it's already done and gone! We have so much to be thankful for this year and I am so so so excited to see what 2015 brings. Here are a few of our Christmas highlights:

We had a pretty fun day! :)

And included in my day was a quick trip to Walgreens... my husband was in desperate need of ginger ale or should I say his Bushmill's was in desperate need of it. I didn't mind running out because it was a BEAUTIFUL day! Sunny and high 50s. While I was there I decided that on Christmas it would be nice to bless some of the workers with a little treat. I have been carrying around these $5 Starbucks gift cards for the purpose of giving them to others and these workers seemed pretty deserving since they were working instead of relaxing with family. It was a small gift but I do appreciate that they are there and sacrificing.

Today we thought it would be fitting to read Luke 2:1-20.. the Christmas story of Jesus' birth.

Well that's a wrap on 25 Days of Kindness! I can't believe it's already over but I have so enjoyed it and can't wait to do it again next year. :)

You can check out a recap of all the posts here.

Merry Christmas!!

<-Kassy->

25 Days of Kindness: Day 24 Children's Ministry Toys

Wow, I can't believe we are already to day 24!! It's been a long road and it's not been perfect but tomorrow will top off our 25 Days of Kindness. Check here for the summary post of all 25 Days of Kindness.

I'll keep this short and sweet because we are prepping for Santa to visit very soon. :)

Our church held five Christmas Eve services over the last two days. They were anticipating large attendance today so we volunteered to help greet and collect offering at a service this afternoon and then attend the last Christmas Eve service with our family. It was a beautiful service and, wow, it was so packed! Every seat in the house (literally) was taken and there was standing room only. We spent the evening at the in laws celebrating Christmas and the kiddos were spoiled rotten!

My uber creative husband was tasked with finding a gift that was "long, fat, and hard to wrap" for his family's rob your neighbor gift exchange. He came up with this candy cane idea all on his own! It had to be within a certain budget so he bought five Arbor Mist bottles and made this candy cane. Pretty creative, right?

For today's kindness we took two small gifts to the children's ministry. I am sure my kids have eaten, thrown, broken, etc some of the toys in the childcare rooms so we'll hopefully replenish some as we go. It's something that we want to continue throughout the year as a thank you for putting up with our kids. :)

Ok, that's all.

<-Kassy->

25 Days of Kindness: Day 23 Kind Words

It's nice to have my sisters in town. They get to hang out with my kiddos and it's just nice to see them. Today we hung out all morning, went out for lunch, and then while the kids were napping I ran to the bank and grocery store. Oh it was glorious to move so quickly in and out of the car and get things without having to calm crazy kids. :) I also took it as an opportunity to slow down, to recognize those around me, and have meaningful interactions.

I stopped at the bank first and decided to have a real conversation with the banker. He was a banker I had regularly dealt with but we never had conversations. I go to that bank about 1-2 times per month but usually have two little people in tow. I asked him about his plans for Christmas, his time off for the holidays, and then he reciprocated. He asked how I got lucky enough to do my Christmas grocery shopping without my two kids. It was interesting because with how many people he helps per day, he remembers people and he remembered us. We continued our conversation, as short as it was, and it was nice to not just go through the motions.

Next I was on to grocery shopping where I slowed down for a few minutes at the meat counter, the bakery, and the baking goods aisle. All met with friendly people who I'm sure have been working like crazy to ensure everyone who comes through the stores is able to get everything they need for their Christmas brunches and dinners.

Sometimes all someone needs to hear is that their shirt looks great on them, their hair looks nice done up like that, or that you are happy to see them. It always amazes me how a simple, nice compliment turns my day around. And what's sad is that I know that, I feel that, and I don't do it enough for other people.... Even though I recognize it's impact. It's something I am personally going to work on. I guess it can be one of my New Year's Resolutions!

We read these verses about kind words:
Proverbs 16:23-24
1 Thessalonians 5:11
Ephesians 4:29-32

It was also a fun day because we celebrated Christmas at Grandma's house. Everyone had a great time!

If you want to follow all 25 Days of Kindness check out this summary post.

<-Kassy->

25 Days of Kindness: Day 22 Librarian Love

As a stay at home mom I have learned about a lot of awesome "free" events, classes, etc in and around our community. We love to go out and about but most things cost and we just don't have the budget to pay for activities every day. One of our favorite activities is story time at the library.... really any class at the library. We have three libraries within a couple minutes of our house so we frequently visit them. Our favorite one is the Spencer Road library which was built, brand new a couple years ago. It's huge and beautiful and new of course. I forgot all of the amazing things the library offers. We went as kids all the time, each had our own library card. Now they offer even more but story time is the same and it's still as awesome as it used to be 20 years ago. Ok, maybe 25 years ago. :/

It's been a long time coming that we did something nice for the librarians who patiently work with my son. He loves story time but he doesn't follow the story time norms- sitting by your parent and listening to the librarian. He likes to stand very close, right in front of them, and repeat all the words they read and point out the pictures in the books.

I've tried getting him to sit by me or even force him and it never ends well and really, I am just glad he is so into the books. It's not really even a bad thing in my mind. But the librarians know him by name now and they are, thankfully, patient with him so we put together some mini Christmas bouquets for them.

I found a big, festive bouquet at Costco and just split it into five mini ones. I wrapped wet paper towels around the stems after trimming them. Then covered the paper towels with clear plastic wrap. I grabbed some tissue paper and ribbon to make them look pretty and poof.... a thank you for each of them. :)

I know it's not a lot but hopefully they know that we love them and all they do!

Today we read through Psalm 95. My son, he loves to pray and say "Amen" but recently he has been asking to read the "by-bell" and it is one of the cutest things. I love that I am enjoying reading my bible more too!

If you would like to view the other 25 Days of Kindness then check out this summary post.

<-Kassy->

25 Days of Kindness: Day 20 Salvation Army Shelter Scarves

We're just loving all the coldness here in Wisconsin... pffff. It takes your breath away when you step outside and the numbness sets in shortly after. And oh yeah, I forgot my coat. :( For me, I can't imagine not having a warm cozy place to go to get out of the cold or even to sleep at night, especially in this ridiculously cold place!

Today my family got together for a Christmas celebration and I am so excited that a couple family members joined in this effort to donate to the Madison Salvation Army Shelter. The shelter is currently housing about 100 people per night... giving them that warm place to get out of the cold and sleep without fear of hypothermia. The scarves were ones we had around the house (I seriously had a million) and I spent the drive up and a couple of nights in the past week knitting some. My family helped with some other warm items like gloves too.

I am excited for the rest of our visit.. and only five more days left of the 25 Days of Kindness!

If you are interested in the other days in this series then check out the summary post here.

<-Kassy->

25 Days of Kindness: Day 19 Compassion International

Yesterday I dropped the ball. I didn't do anything for Day 18. :(  BUT, today we decided to do something bigger.

On JoyFM, our local Christian radio station, they have been encouraging listeners to get involved with Compassion International. Compassion International has a lot of opportunities but JoyFM's recent focus has been on adopting a child in need. There are hundreds of children in their program and some have been waiting for adoption for 352 days... almost one year! We decided to adopt a young boy, Wilson, who had been waiting for 352 days. Isn't he cute?

He also looks sad! I learned a little more about the village that he lives in.... most men are fisherman who earn $150 a month. $150! Can you imagine earning and having so little. We have such blessed lives here in America. We don't even realize it though. It's amazing that there are opportunities for us to help others, to change their paths, to introduce them to Jesus.

We are so excited to have Wilson in our lives... My hubby said "oh wow, we have three kids now!" :)

If you are interested in adopting a child for $38 a month then check out this link. You can choose a child based on how long they have been waiting, where they live, how old they are, or even if it's their birthday. This may have been our kindness for Day 19 but we will get to enjoy the fruits of it for many, many days to come.

Here's a good excerpt for today, Matthew 19:13-15 -- 14: "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."

If you want to check out and follow all 25 Days of Kindness then visit this summary page for more information.

<-Kassy->

25 Days of Kindness: Day 18

Oops! Something happened here... yup. Real life did. Real life got in the way and I dropped the ball on Day 18. :(  I am sad but I have more in store and I am still excited about the remaining days!

Continue to see what's going on here in the summary post.

<-Kassy->

25 Days of Kindness: Day 17 Dog Treats for Our 4-Legged Friends

My car is at the dealership today for repairs so we are hanging out at home all day. We needed to find something to do without leaving the house or going too far. And it just so happens my sister-in-law just got a new puppy...

We decided we would appreciate the 4-legged friends in our lives. We have two dogs, Tucker and Bruno, who love dog treats. I am ashamed to say that our dog Bruno is on a diet. The vet told us at Bruno's last appointment that he was overweight. He had bulked up. I suppose we got distracted having two kids 17 months apart and moving into a new home over the last 2.5 years. And he needed to lose a chunk of weight so now we feed him half frozen green beans, half dog food. We switched to a natural, lower ingredient dog food as well. 

But anyway, awhile back I found a fun and easy recipe for dog treats using baby food. I just so happen to have some baby food! :) And the only other ingredient is flour!

We mixed it up. Then we rolled it out and used some cookie cutters to make fun shapes. Cooked them and let them cool.

 

See that one lonely snowflake?? Yeah that was us trying really hard to make cute dog treats... it didn't last very long! Haha. We went for cutting them for the sake of time and sanity! 

We tested them out on two loyal subjects! :)

I think they were a hit considering they were gone before we knew it.

Recipe

Ingredients:

1:1 whole wheat flour and baby food* (add more flour as needed to get the dough-like consistency)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix ingredients into a dough. Roll dough to 1/4" on a lightly floured surface. Use cookie cutters to make each treat or cut into squares. Cover baking sheet with parchment paper. Place 1/2" apart and bake for 20-25 minutes depending on size of each treat. Cool on a wire rack and then place in a paper bag. 

*Please note that there are some foods that should not be fed to dogs and you have to be sure to avoid them! Check the ingredients of any baby foods you use and ensure there are not preservatives and/or the list of ingredients found here. No ONIONS!

We packaged the treats in cups, covered with plastic wrap, and added some ribbon. They just look a little more festive this way. We had enough for four containers so we are keeping one and giving three away to the dogs we know. :)

We read from James 1 today. I was reminded how blessed I am and how thankful I should be. Verses 12, 17, and 19 really spoke to me.

Today was just a fun one and I love getting Mason and Kennedi involved. They are so much fun... I am thankful I get to hang out with them every day! :)

Do you have any 4-legged friends who might enjoy this??

You can follow all 25 Days of Kindness through the summary post.

<-Kassy->

25 Days of Kindness: Day 16 Mail for William

Have you heard about William? He is a 12 year old boy who is very special and he has an awesome mom. Here is her letter to the world… ok, wait, grab some tissues first, then read it.

---- 

I have never done, or asked anything like this before, but I felt the need to. That need that comes from being a mom and wanting to do everything in your power to make your child happy. It seems like such a small thing but it is the few things that drive a mothers soul. The need to protect and the need to bring joy to your kids faces.

My son, William is 12 years old. He is an amazing kid. He rarely asks for much. He is full of love, joy and happiness. William is smart, funny and awesome. William also has Autism (severe) and is also non verbal. (he can not talk). During Christmas time (his absolute favorite time of the year) he always asks me for the things he wants, and they are always the same. He wants Mr.Sketch Markers, Copy Paper, Lays Regular Chips, and whatever Blu Ray is on his mind for his collection. (His "thing" is movies). He is the easiest and hardest to shop for. I am always looking for new things to add to the list but he usually is not interested and just wants what he wants

This is where my request comes in. This year he asked for something new! I almost fell over when he added it to the box (his Christmas wish list box) and the new item is........... MAIL! Mail. Mail. He LOVES getting mail. Half of our family lives in Northern Canada and the other half lives in Southern USA so he gets mail from family a couple times a year. I always knew he loved getting his mail but when he asked for it, I cried. I actually sat here and cried. Both happy and sad tears. Happy because he was expressing his wants and sad because of how I was going to figure out how to get him what he wants. He is such an amazing kid and he rarely wants for anything, I really want to make something special for him.

Let me tell you why I was sad. William has never had people come to his birthdays or has he been invited to any. No one asks William to come over for playdates or sleep overs. There are a small handful of kids in his class with needs of their own so I understand why. It is not anyone's fault, it just is what it is. My family lives 1000 miles in one direction and my kids other family (fathers side) lives 1000 miles in the other so there is no family here for us. My teenage daughter is always out, socializing, hanging with friends and sometimes it just breaks my heart. I wish William had that too, but life has other plans for this amazing kid.

Many people assume since he can not talk that he does not understand. Well, let me tell you, this kid understands. He understands a lot. He understands too much. He just can not communicate the way we do, but he is sharp as a tack. He feels love and affection and I think he finds mail from others as affection. He carries around the last box that was sent to him. He covets the post cards. He wants me to read mail to him (even though he is an excellent reader) he wants to send mail. He LOVES mail and asks me for it now (the past couple weeks) multiple times a day. He writes MAIL on his drawings, he brings me the key to check the mail. I think he truly appreciate mail.

Now to my request. I have been racking my brains for a couple weeks. I want to make this year special for this most special boy. He has nothing but love in him and I want him to feel the love from others. If you want to help a kind soul this year, I am asking for strangers to send him mail. I want him to know the world loves and values him in a way that he understands and feels. I have been buying stamps and have been "creating" mail for Christmas. I have enlisted my small family (there is only a handful) to send mail to him for Christmas. I was hoping someone out there would want to sit down and send mail to William. He deserves to feel the love from the world like the rest of us do because he makes this world a better place. He deserves all the mail in the world according to me , but I am his mommy so I am bias.

I know, it may seem strange to ask strangers for mail but this is the only way I can think of to fulfill my sons Christmas wish. I am starting a page, and if people write letters to him on it, I will print the letters off and turn them into mail. If you feel inclined to send this amazing kid a piece of mail, I will save it until Christmas morning and when he wakes up, he will wake up to his beloved mail.

He loves his mail so much that his weekly treat is to visit the Post Office so he can get a Mail Box (a priority mail box) and when we get home he wants me to put Mail in it (usually just one of his BluRays) and he gets so happy to open it. He also carries around this Christmas USPS flier thingy they sent out a while ago with their Christmas stamps.

Please take the time to consider my request. It would mean the world to a very special young boy whose only real wish this year is to open  MAIL  It would mean the world to this Momma , William and his big sister Victoria too, we just want to make it a very special Christmas for a very special boy

----

The part that really got to me... where she talks about the birthday parties. How sad and how we take such little things for granted. :( I can't imagine, as a mom, feeling like people don't love my kiddos because I LOVE them with all my heart. It would literally be heartbreaking.

Today the kiddos and I colored pictures of some of William’s favorite movies- Ice Age, How to Train Your Dragon. And we included some blank pages too for him to beautify.

We wrote him a note that will hopefully encourage him to continue doing what he loves and being the wonderful person he has become.

For today we read these verses about loving those who are different than us…

Psalm 139:13-14 and Song of Songs 4… especially verse 7- You are altogether beautiful, my darling; there is no flaw in you.

A reminder that we are made and loved just the way we are!

And if I could speak to his mom: 1 Peter 5:10  And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.

I’m pretty sure that is where the saying, “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” and although the road is rough it has built so much strength which is obvious in your letter and on the Facebook page. You’re doing great!

How amazing that something so small, simple, and easy could make someone happy when others complain that the gifts they got weren’t good enough. There’s still time to send William some mail if you are interested in making his day! Here’s the address:

Williams Mail

PMB# 175

816 Peace Portal Dr.

Blaine, Washington

98230

USA

Click here to see his Facebook page. And here to find out more about him.

If you want to follow all 25 Days of Kindness then check out this Summary Post.

<-Kassy->

25 Days of Kindness: Day 15 Small Group Generosity

We go to a large church... large as in 2,000 people attend weekend worship on a regular basis. It's massive and while I love everything that a big church offers it is easy to get lost in the crowd and it's much more difficult to meet people.

This year we joined a small group which is great for that. We have a small group of core people that we meet with a couple times a month. We read books, discuss, pray, eat dinner, etc. It's a lot of fun and I'm glad we finally (after only knowing a handful of people for the 5 years we've been attending) met some people that also go to the church. It really is crazy how much of a difference it makes... I feel like every time we attend worship we see people from our small group! I also feel like it has a domino effect in extending our network within the church. I know many more people now and joining the small group was a big part of that.

So today was our last gathering of 2014 and our Christmas Party. We decided as a group that we would "bless" our babysitter as a thank you for all she does throughout the year for the kids. She watches a boat load of kids each time we meet and I don't know how she hasn't gone crazy yet. Haha! She was there as we were potty training and there were accidents and she picks up after all the kids too. We normally all contribute to pay her but sometimes it's nice to recognize that she is valued. An envelope was passed around for her and we all made our own decisions based on feeling and ability what to bless her with.

We are just excited to be able to give her a little something extra and that is the small act of kindness from today. :)

For today the verses come from Hebrews 10:19-39... specifically "let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together". This is really the reason a small group is so important.

Keep track of all 25 Days of Kindness through this summary post.

<-Kassy->

25 Days of Kindness: Day 14 Food Donation

Our church has many ministries, I wrote about The Christmas Shoppe yesterday, and there are many, many more. We love how much our church gives back to people in need. I am glad to be a part of such great programs just by supporting our church and how easy it is to help out all year. Our church has drop off boxes for food, personal hygiene items, etc which they then distribute accordingly. It's great and easy. When I'm at the store I just add an extra item or two to the cart and then drop it off at weekend service. It's not so scary for the budget when it's something small each time but it adds up throughout the year!

Today we dropped it off and then helped out at the earlier service at church. We got to nap while the kids napped this afternoon and then we enjoyed the beautiful weather at the Zoo's Wild Lights. That was pretty cool! Here are a couple pictures of some of the light displays they had...

And here's me with my sweet baby girl. :)

Overall it was a great day! And I cheated a little on the bible readings for today because I used the ones that were used for today's sermon at church... but they were good and fitting! The sermon was on "Disturbing the Peace" as in getting out of our peaceful comfort zone. Today's focus was helping the poor! Spot on. Here are a couple verses that I enjoyed...
Hebrews 13:1-3
James 2:1-9

Today I wrote out the rest of the days of our 25 Days of Kindness and I am so excited about the next 11 days! I can't wait to share them with you all.

Keep track of all 25 Days of Kindness through this summary post.

<-Kassy->

25 Days of Kindness: Day 13 The Christmas Shoppe

This morning I helped out with our church's Christmas Shoppe and it was truly wonderful! The Christmas Shoppe is a place where families in need can purchase a couple of gifts for each child for very little... I'm talking about 18" Our Generation Dolls for $3, Little Tykes Cottages for $10, a Coach bag for $10, and gift cards for 80% off (i.e. $10 for a $50 gift card or $5 for a $25 gift card. They had so much stuff.. books, scarves, make-up, cologne, bikes with helmets included, stuffed animals, and play kitchens. And there was another room of winter coats to help fill some of the necessities for these families.

The way that the shoppe worked was that these families signed up way in advance and the church worked with each family to ensure that they would have money to pay for the gifts. If the family did not have enough money they could spend time volunteering at the church to add to their shopping money. Then the families came to the church for brunch, dropped the kiddos in the children's ministry, and the parents shopped for gifts. The church held a Christmas in July campaign where all the donations fully funded the shoppe well in advance.

There is a great quote I read about this sort of offering that I think really explains it. It was from Poverty Cure by Kim Tan "I think what people want if you ask the poor-- if given a choice between a handout or a hand up that helps them really to have a sense of dignity and independence, to be able to put food on their table by themselves through their own effort-- they all want to be able to do that. You know, that is, that is a part of human aspiration, and I think we need to find ways of doing that; and it's enterprise that can really help people do that." This is the mentality of our church that inspired this program. It was heartwarming to see these people excited about buying gifts for their kids. Shopping, choosing, and paying for their gifts. So amazing. Here are a couple of the tables... not even a quarter of the stuff that was offered today!

I helped with restocking the gift tables to ensure there were gifts still available even as more and more families filtered through. It was a wonderful experience and a nice way to start my weekend. The kiddos couldn't tag along for this one but I am hoping our church continues this tradition so they can help in years to come!

Check out what the Bible says about helping the poor... "Give generously to them and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to. There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore, I command you to be openhanded...." this was in our reading for today in Deuteronomy 15.

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend and hopefully the weather is as nice it is here... 55 and sunny! :)

Keep track of all 25 Days of Kindness through this summary post.

<-Kassy->

25 Days of Kindness: Day 12 Educator Thank You

Any moms out there? If you're in Missouri, you have little ones, and you have not checked out Parents As Teachers then you are missing out! It is an amazing program. Here are the goals for the program:

1. Increase parent knowledge of early childhood development and improve parenting practices.
2. Provide early detection of developmental delays and health issues.
3. Prevent child abuse and neglect
4. Increase children’s school readiness and school success.

Our educator visits once a month (2 kiddos x 4 visits per year per child) during the school year but there are school districts that only allow one visit per year to ensure there are no issues and no extra visits. Either way, it is worth it because they can identify potential issues before you send your child to kindergarten. I love hearing about what my kids are getting right vs what they expect at that age. It is eye opening and it has helped me so much as a mom. Lots of tips, pointers, and ideas to help my kids grow and learn on track with other kids their age.

Anyhow, we really like our educator, she is nice and so helpful. She is always late, always but we just expect it now so it's not really bothersome haha. :)  But we decided it was a good time to share some kindness with her. She previously mentioned she loved coffee and coffee shops so we put together a little coffee gift for her. We're so thankful for people who care and you can tell that it's not just her job, she cares!

Here's a link to contact Parents As Teachers to sign up for their program. Or you can contact your school district directly and get there much more quickly!

Invitations of Wisdom and Folly from Proverbs 9 was our scripture reading today.

Happy Friday everyone! :)

Keep track of all 25 Days of Kindness through this summary post.

<-Kassy->

25 Days of Kindness: Day 11 Project Impact

Today was totally a lazy day. We woke up a little late, thank you Jesus for kids that like to sleep in some days, and we just grazed around the house all day. We did make these really fun popsicle stick snowflakes to adorn our living room which also by the way made me realize that wall is bare! So I've got my wheels turning on how to fill that for very few dollars in the near future. :) But back to the snowflakes...

And you can see that my wall needs more than just that painting! Eek!

A few years ago my sisters and I'm chose to stop buying gifts for each and start buying gifts for others who are in need. We don't have a lot of money but we all agreed we have everything we "need" and we would rather bless others than get another present that, let's face it, we may or may not even like. We've adopted families, bought gifts for children who weren't going to get any and this year we're helping babies.

My sister's church, Valley Church in West Des Moines, Iowa, has this really awesome program called "Project: Impact" where each month their members and friends donate specific items for a the community. For instance in July they collect school supplies for kids who will be returning to school in August and in October they collect coats and cold weather gear because Iowa winters are not something to sneeze at! In December they collect diapers and formula because when everyone is talking about "wants" there are families who still just need the essentials. There isn't anything more essential than diapers and formula. It's very cool to see how God's people take care of each other!

We pooled our money and were able to donate 336 diapers, 448 wipes, and 510 ounces of formula! It's all relative considering how quickly babies go through diapers, wipes, and formula but we were excited to make this contribution from our family this year. We ordered the diapers, wipes, and formula through Amazon Prime and shipped it directly to my sister in Iowa so she could deliver all of it to her church. :)

Today we read James 5. This chapter reminds us that we should pray in faith as well as turning to the church when we are in need.

Stay tuned for some more fun acts of kindness... we only have 14 days left!

If you want to check out what we have already done so far then check out our summary post here.

<-Kassy->

25 Days of Kindness: Day 10 Food Pantry Drive

One thing I enjoy are the family traditions we have started with our kiddos and every year one of those traditions is going to Fort Zumwalt Park in O'Fallon to see the Celebration of Lights. We get comfy in our PJs, fill our mugs with hot cocoa, and drive over to the park for a spectacular light show! It is amazingly beautiful to see what they do and the kids love it. They have Christmas music playing on a specific radio station which is so nicely festive too. The parks and recreation department also hosts a food pantry drive in conjunction with the light show so you bring canned or boxed good with you to fill up the food pantry. They are so nice that if you donate to the food pantry you get $1 off admission too. :)

Today we enjoyed the light show and made an easy food pantry donation with some canned foods. If you haven't seen these lights then I highly recommend going and don't forget your food donation!

Check out Matthew 25:35-40 for what God says about feeding and caring for the least of your brothers and sisters.

Here are some cute pictures of us enjoying the evening. :) Nevermind my makeup free face!

 

Only 15 more days... time is flying by! Keep track of all 25 Days of Kindness through this summary post.

<-Kassy->

25 Days of Kindness: Day 9 Thanking Volunteers

It's that time of year when you hear bells going in and out of stores (or at least in my area). It's festive and it is for a good cause. The Salvation Army arms volunteers with bells to ring while collecting change for their cause.

I remember volunteering in high school for some Salvation Army bell ringing at our local Schnucks (grocery store). It was freezing cold but we had fun with it. We sang Christmas carols and talked to everyone who passed. We (my classmates and I) raised a couple thousand dollars in the time we volunteered that year and were even recognized by the county Salvation Army organization. That experience helped me understand and appreciate the bell ringers I see every year at this time. It also reminds me that I need to do that again!

Today when I ran out to the store for a couple of items I put together a couple mugs each with a candy bar and a $5 Starbucks gift card. I also grabbed a bag of change and a couple ones to put in the red bucket. The bell ringers received small gifts of our appreciation and the Salvation Army received our donation. I am so thankful for people who volunteer when I do not.. when I forget or when I think I don't have time.

Today we read through Galatians 6:1-10 titled "Doing Good For All". :)

Take some time to thank volunteers this holiday season because through the busy-ness of the season they have found time to do something kind and helpful!

Have you helped with bell ringing before? Is it something you will consider doing in the future?

<-Kassy->

Click here for a summary of the 25 Days of Kindness + The Kindness Elf complete with links to each post as well as the corresponding verses.