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November 2, 2013 by Karin 2 Comments

~ Day 22 ~

Did you know that just watching a good deed elevates and inspires? Just watching. “Research shows that we tend to act unselfishly when we see others do the same.” The ripples go on and on.

The possibilities are endless. Here are some great ideas for random acts of kindness (don’t you know, there is a whole site dedicated to them. Very cool.)

“How lovely to think that no one need wait a moment. We can start now, start slowly, changing the world. How lovely that everyone, great and small, can make a contribution toward introducing justice straightaway. And you can always, always give something, even if it is only kindness!”

Anne Frank (1929 – 1945)

We can learn so much from kids.

Happy weekend, friends.

Matthew 11:25-26

At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure.

October 18, 2013 by Karin 2 Comments

What We Can Learn From One of Those

31 Days of Good Deeds

(click here for the series)

~ Day 16 ~

We all know those kinds.

The ones we greet with polite smiles while our minds reel,

Not you again.

We wish we wouldn’t react this way, but these types are, well, beyond annoying.

We grow up, learn a few manners, and cover our irritation with veiled smiles and rapid excuses.

Right now isn’t a good time. Maybe later?

Oh, I have to run. So sorry.

We want to be kind, we want to be neighborly, but that one… that one… drives us crazy.

We’ve all had one of those. Maybe, we have been one of those.

This is a story about one of those. The ones we judge by past history or history that has been passed by word of mouth (nah, not gossip). No one is above this feeling. It’s really how we react… how we change our perspective… that changes our heart. Sometimes, one of those people has a heart we could learn something from.

Thank you, Joan, for sharing your story and your perspective. (You can find Joan’s blog here).

Ralph Snider’s loud, overbearing manner irritated some people. He monopolized conversations, and exaggerated his slow Texas twang, leaving some to think of him as a backwoods country bumpkin.

Yes—he was loud, talked (a lot), and had a lazy drawl. However, he was well-educated and intelligent. He served as a substitute teacher on several occasions when I was in Junior High. He knew a good deal about local history and was an interesting conversationalist.

He grew up in a time when neighbors visited neighbors unannounced, but nevertheless were welcomed.

Times changed. Lives got busier. People stopped visiting without an invitation. Our small town grew. More people moved to the area, and Mr. Snider’s pop-in visits were often unwelcomed. Many voiced their frustrations over his continuing to drop by unannounced.

I finished school, married, and entered the work force. I learned to avoid him—especially when in a hurry. I don’t have time for this. Plus, he might begin making unexpected visits to our house. That’s the last thing we need after a long day at work.

One day, a friend told me a story about him—one much different from ones the others often relayed. A local church held a luncheon and invited members of the community. Mr. Snider attended. Of course, he would never pass up an opportunity to visit and talk with others.

Danny, a middle-aged mentally challenged man, was present. He came from a poor family that didn’t have a good reputation. Some of his relatives had served time in jail for vandalism and theft. Most people knew Danny was harmless, but many avoided him.

Mr. Snider had already taken a seat when Danny went through the serving line. After receiving his meal, Danny turned to find a table. He bumped against something and spilled the entire plate of food on the floor. Upset and embarrassed, he began to cry.

Without hesitation, Mr. Snider jumped up, went over to Danny, and cleaned the food from the floor. He helped Danny find a table, and brought him a fresh meal.

Mr. Snider didn’t wait for a janitor to clean up the mess. He didn’t turn a blind eye and ignore the situation. He didn’t hesitate to leave his own plate of hot food, which was cold by the time he returned to his chair. He performed a simple act of kindness from the goodness of his heart.

I think we could all learn something from Mr. Snider.

We are given these human suitcases to carry us around on this earth. Some of our suitcases may not be most appealing at first, or second, glance. It’s when we unzip the weathered cases that we find what’s really inside. The inside may just be the treasure we’ve been avoiding.

God must smile at our surprise.

Hebrews 4:12-13

For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

October 16, 2013 by Karin 2 Comments

The Best In Others

31 Days of Good Deeds

(click here for the series)

~ Day 14 ~

The homecoming is the best part.

I have a new friend down the street.

She is a new mom, in a new house, in a new town, with a deployed husband.

It doesn’t take long to connect with someone who is in the shoes you have worn to paper-thin soles. It doesn’t take long to remember that feeling of staying behind to hold it all together. It doesn’t take long for the visions of leaking washers, broken alarms, dead car batteries, sick children, temperamental refrigerators, and sleepless nights to resurface.

It doesn’t take long to commiserate in the truth… everything breaks when they are gone.

Deployments begin with a spiteful appliance whispering,

Yea, I’m broken. Thought I’d let you know… now.

Always when they are gone.

My friend with this cherub of a brown-eyed baby boy has reached the end of the parenting alone, the fixing alone, the worrying alone, and the doing alone. Her wait is over.

Homecoming is the very best part.

She shared a story with me. A good deed at a desperate time.

We left our two cars on base here. I was heading home to stay with my parents and we needed to leave the cars in a safe place. When I returned to town and moved into our new house, our friend went to base and returned my car to me. He brought it right to my house.

Here’s the best part…

He went to base to start our other car so he could bring it to our house before my husband gets home. When he got there, the car wouldn’t start. He had the car towed to his own house. After checking out the whole car, he bought and replaced the battery. He kept the car for a few more days and drove it just to make sure it was running well.

Then, he washed it and cleaned it and brought it right to my door. My husband was touched and thankful that someone had taken care of his family while he was gone.

These deployments bring broken appliances, dead batteries, and too many unwelcome surprises.

These deployments… bring out the very best in others.

These deployments bring us to the deepest of gratitude for those who go out of their way… to bring comfort right to our front door.

James 3:13

Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.

October 15, 2013 by Karin Leave a Comment

This Is How It Starts

31 Days of Good Deeds

(click here for the series)

~ Day 13 ~

I remember that morning.

It was one of those mornings when alarms were ignored, breakfasts inhaled, shoes lost, shirts smudged, belts forgotten, children whined, and mama barked. All the while the hand on the clock decided to skip ahead 5 minutes for every passing second. We were late, the kids were frazzled, and I was done. Four down.

I remember strapping two squirmy little ones into car seats and peeling out of the parking lot. Can’t be late for coffee and Bible study at your own house, you know. Nice.

My attitude had taken over that particular morning, but I was smart enough to know that donuts would be an easy fix for the whiny ones in the back. In fact, I might have one… or two myself. In fact, I might get enough for everyone to share. I wasn’t going down this sugar road alone.

I sat in line at the Dunkin Donuts drive through (this donut thing, it’s just way too easy). My breathing slowed and I finally relaxed enough to tickle kicking feet behind me.

That’s when I felt it. Or heard it. I’m not sure. But, I knew what the message was,

Pay for the car behind you.

I mulled over the thought and replied,

Yea, I’m not sure if I have enough cash on me.

The Voice whispered again,

Pay for them.

The enemy had pretty much taken center stage this morning, and I had too easily given in to the worst parts of myself.

Only one way to turn this day around, and I knew the whispering Voice was the answer. He always is.

I smiled to myself and flipped off bad guy.

Screw you, devil.

I muttered those words as I pulled out some extra money. I paid for the car behind us and drove away. A Boston creme donut and a kick in the tail to my selfishness. Things were turning around that morning.

I shared my morning story with a girlfriend a little while later. She replied with a grin,

We just drove through that drive through and the lady at the window told me people had been paying for each other for about an hour now.

And, that’s how it starts. I’ve heard these stories again and again. Every time they make me smile.

Then, I realized the best part.

A few girlfriends have shared their own stories about drive through kindness. Anna remembers,

I was in the drive thru with my son very early on a cold, December morning on the way to his basketball game. As we got to the window, the barista told me that the car in front of us had paid for ours and told us ‘Merry Christmas!’ My son and I were shocked and thought that was awesome, so we happily paid for the 2 cars behind us, adding in ‘Merry Christmas’ too. My son talked about it for months. He was so proud that we paid it forward then and we do it today, every now and then. It was a great lesson for my son and today, I can still see the look on his face when we were told by the drive thru barista. Priceless.

And Ashley,

We have been through the drive thru at McDonald’s and had the people in front of us pay for our order. We then paid for the people behind us.

The best part… their kids were watching. They watched a good deed in action.

They watch everything we do. It’s when we share a good deed, when we pay it forward… it’s then that we pay it into an entire new generation.

And, that’s how it starts.

Priceless.

Psalm 71:18

Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, O God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your might to all who are to come.

October 9, 2013 by Karin 2 Comments

We All Need It

31 Days of Good Deeds

(click here for the series)

~ Day 8 ~

Remember the first date?

Ours was on a Harley to a crab shack situated next to a glistening river. It was a beautiful day in May.

It was the kind of date I knew would settle into my memory forever.

A few weeks later, we were engaged. A few more months and one deployment went by, and we were married. Still another few months, another deployment, and we celebrated with an official wedding.

I roll those memories around in my mind on the days that my elbows are lost in dishes, laundry, dirty diapers, and school work.

I smile at this lively six pack of ours and remember the travels we enjoyed… way back then.

These days of babies… growing to big kids… growing to pre-teens are a wild and blurry race. These days are the ones that really grow us. These days are the ones when love learns the grit of perseverance. When love learns the true meaning of patience. When love shows what it’s really made of. When God shows us… what we are really made of.

And, sometimes, we are given rest.

The rare and sacred time away to remember what that first date was really all about.

And, sometimes, someone older and wiser… someone who has been there, lived it, and loved it… appears. Someone who sees the strain, the drain, and the need for release. This someone comes along, passes the baton of hope and encouragement, shares the joy of the moment ~ for just a moment, and let’s you know you are right where you supposed to be.

This story from my friend Laura is about the parents… the couples… who have been through it. They remember these days, wish us well, offer a gift, and push us to keep going…

We were at Bunhuggers (a burger restaurant in Flagstaff) and began talking with another couple behind us in line. They were a bit older than us, but were coincidentally on their once a year weekend getaway, just like us. We talked about our kids and our love for the busy stage of life that we are in. After orders were placed we each sat down at different tables. At Bunhuggers, you pay when the food is called out and picked up. We didn’t hear our number called, so my husband went up to ask about it. He was told that that nice couple we chatted with in line paid for our order. We went together to ask if there was some confusion. When they simultaneously began to smile, we realized that it was on purpose. We thanked them and were humbled by their kindness. They said that their kids were older and they knew how much they would have loved if someone had picked up their tab in our stage. They said, “just pay it forward sometime to someone who doesn’t look at all like they need it. Have a good night.” It was a heartwarming high note to end our trip on.

Remembering the days gone by with couples who have been there… gives us hope… and rest.

Just pay it forward to someone who doesn’t look at all like they need it… because we all need it.

1 Timothy 6:17-19

Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.

Just Watching

What We Can Learn From One of Those

The Best In Others

This Is How It Starts

We All Need It

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