Day 365: Made a Donation in Honor of You!

Wow! What an incredible year!!! As I completed my final act of kindness for the year, I had so many emotions running through my head...joy for the smiles I witnessed this year...hope for the power of kindness in changing how we see the world...and appreciation for the support, encouragement, and love received from each of you as I completed this journey! I especially want to thank my fabulous family and dearest friends for believing in me! I couldn't have made this journey without you :)

The question I was asked most this year was why are you making someone smile every day? While I wanted to share kindness, love, and happiness with others, there was a deeper meaning behind each act of kindness. The end of 2013 marked the end of a 5 year struggle to become pregnant. In this struggle, I allowed myself to harbor anger, resentment, and incredible sorrow and that changed me in so many ways. I didn't recognize this person I became and I disparately wanted to find the old me again and get back to living life! Then out of nowhere, I came across the blog 366 Random Acts of Kindness and thought... maybe I need to open my heart to heal it.

And what a healing it has made! By channeling negativity into an act of kindness, you create a powerful reaction that is capable of not only changing you, but those around you. Kindness is the difference and has made such a difference in me. Whatever struggle or battle you may be facing, kindness can be your saving grace.

An act of kindness doesn't have to be big or elaborate. Just a small gesture can make a huge impact and ripple effect of love and happiness. And that is exactly what I hoped this journey would demonstrate. So that brings us to today 12/31/14, Day 365! In honor of each of you, I made a 10 cent donation for each follower to Random Acts, an organization conquering the world one random act of kindness at a time! This year, Random Acts funded over $47,000 in supporter and staff acts of kindness in addition to other projects promoting kindness across the country. Find out more at randomacts.org !

Thank you again for your continued support this year! A dear friend made me the beautiful artwork pictured above to remember this wonderful year. So, I'll end with the quote that has embodied this journey..."No act of kindness, however small, is ever wasted!" --Aesop

Day 364: Made a "Year Long Gift" in a Frame for a Friend

The new year is upon us, which means it's time to roll out the new calendar! I love celebrating the seasons and holidays of the year and was so excited to find this "Year Long Gift" in a frame printable from Eighteen25! Each printable was printed on cardstock, then cut out and placed in a frame. Such a fun way to view the year :)

Day 363: Mailed a "Hug" to my Grandma

My Grandma was not able to visit for the Holidays this year. I wanted to find a way to brighten her day, so I decided to mail her a "hug." I saw this idea on multiple blogs and thought it was too cute! I traced the outline of my hug on wrapping paper to add a little extra sparkle and included a special note for my Grandma! Hopefully, I can give her a hug in person real soon :)

Day 362: Left a Surprise Gift for a Neighbor

My husband helped me with today's act of kindness! We noticed that a neighbor recently constructed a home bar in his garage and could use a tap handle for his kegerator. My husband wanted to handcraft a tap handle with a chalkboard writing surface to give to our neighbor! Tonight, we secretly left the handle for our neighbor to find :)

Day 361: Counted Coins for Imagine No Malaria

A local church in my community collects "Miles of Coins" for charity. Their mission this year is to support Imagine No Malaria, a fundraising campaign to bring prevention and treatment programs to areas affected by malaria. Today, I helped count and roll coins to prepare them for donation to the cause :)

Day 360: Viewed Light Displays with My Nephew

Tonight I bundled up my nephew for a walk to view Christmas light displays in my neighborhood. He was so excited to see the lights and kept saying, "I like, I like." It was too precious! I love catching a glimpse of the world through a child's eyes. They have full appreciation of life and its joys :)

Day 359: Shared a Christmas Tradition with Someone New

Merry Christmas!! This year, for the first time, we hosted our entire family over for Christmas day celebrations. I thought it would be fun to share some of my family's Christmas traditions with my husband's family. So today, we cooked our traditional Holiday feast including country ham, collard greens, macaroni and cheese, sweet potato casserole, homemade biscuits, pecan pie, and eggnog punch (yep, I grew up down South)! We also shared our tradition of exchanging ornaments. I chose this ornament, which read "Believe" to give to my mother-in-law. The word "Believe" is especially treasured in my family as a reminder to have faith in the possibilities of life :)

Day 358: Made Christmas Sing-A-Long CDs

One of my favorite movie quotes of the season is "the best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear," from the movie Elf.  So when I found this adorable printable from Eighteen25, I knew this would be a fun act of kindness. I made CDs with my favorite Holiday Sing-A-Long songs and used the Christmas Cheer printable for the CD cover :)

Day 357: Gave a Cookie Mix Kit to a Friend

Wow! What a fabulous Holiday break with family and friends!! The year is quickly coming to a close, so let me fill you in on what I've been up to...

Day 357: Gave a Cookie Mix Kit to a Friend-- I have such fond memories of making cutout cookies with my mom and sister during the Holidays. My favorite part was always taste tasting! So today, I thought it would be fun to package a cookie mix, cookie cutter, and recipe for a friend to create memories with her family :)

Day 356: Posted a Photo of a Hug to Support a Nonprofit

Today I posted a photo of a hug on Instagram to support @theredtricyclebrigade ! For every hug photo posted with #hugs4joy , the nonprofit will receive $1 (up to $500). I decided to post one of my favorite pictures of me hugging my grandmother after I was able to pull off a surprise visit earlier this year :)

Day 355: Left a "Letter for Santa" Kit for a Child to Find

I found an adorable package of stationary that read "Wish List" at Target, which inspired this act today. I thought it would be fun to package the stationary with some crayons for children to write letters to Santa. I left the kit in a children's play area for someone to find :)

Day 354: Wrapped Gifts for Someone

Wrapping gifts can get overwhelming with everything else going on during the season. Although it's one of my favorite activities during this time of year, for others it's not the most enjoyable way to spend the holiday. So today, I helped a friend wrap gifts for her family :)

Day 353: Gave a Gift Wrapping Kit to Someone

One of my favorite activities of the season is wrapping gifts for family and friends! I thought it would be fun to gather some gift wrapping essentials-gift tags, tape, bows, and of course wrapping paper- to give to someone :)

Day 352: Remembered a Christmas-Time Birthday

My coworker told me this year that her birthday is often forgotten or lumped together with Christmas because of the date.  I wanted her to feel appreciated and not forgotten, so I put together a little something today :)

Day 351: Donated Outerwear to a Local VOA Shelter

Today, I donated outerwear to the Volunteers of America (VOA), an organization dedicated to supporting and empowering those in need. The VOA provides services to many including at-risk youth, homeless individuals and families, people with disabilities, the elderly, those returning from prison, and those recovering from addictions.  Find out more about your local VOA at voa.org :)

Day 350: Purchased Items for a Local VA Giving Tree

Our local VA is sponsoring a Giving Tree to help Veterans and their families this Holiday season. Today I purchased some items from the wishlist of a 4 year old girl who loves the movie Frozen. I am wishing for a joyful Holiday for her family :)

Day 349: Left a Cookie Plate and a Favorite Cookie Recipe for Someone to Find

Christmas cookie season is in full gear at my house! I thought it would be fun to share one of my favorite cookie recipes with someone and decided to add a cute decorative plate too :)

Day 348: Made a Blanket for Project Linus

Project Linus collects new, homemade blankets for children who are ill, traumatized, or in need. I don't have sewing skills, but I can make a no-sew fleece blanket! The Project Linus website is filled with patterns for blanket makers of all skills. Blankets can be mailed or dropped off at a local chapter. Learn more at projectlinus.org :)

Day 347: Helped Families in Need Pickup Christmas Gifts

A local church and school team up each year at Christmas to collect donations from the community to support families in need. Each family receives groceries, wrapping paper, and Christmas gifts for their children. Today, I helped families pickup their donations. I was blown away by the overwhelming kindness of my community :)

Day 346: Grocery Shopped for Someone

Today I picked up groceries for someone that needed help running some errands. Just 10 minutes of your day can make someone's day a little easier :)

Day 345: Sponsored a Care Package for Our Troops

Operation Gratitude sends care packages filled with gifts from home including snacks, hygiene products, and letters of appreciation.  Since inception in 2003, Operation Gratitude has shipped more than one million care packages! With a $15 donation, you can sponsor the shipment of a care package to our troops :)

Day 344: Left a Winter Wreath on a Neighbor's Door

I decided to spread some Holiday cheer in my neighborhood today and left a winter wreath on my neighbor's door :)

Day 343: Made a Heart-Shaped Bookmark for Someone

I found a tutorial for making adorable heart-shaped bookmarks that fit on the corner of a book page from the How About Orange blog. I knew the perfect bookworm to make one for :)

Day 342: Left Baking Supplies for Someone to Find

My mom was the inspiration for this act of kindness! At Christmas, she packages baking essentials in an oven mitt to give to friends. So after baking cookies this weekend, I thought it would be fun to leave a mitt filled with some baking supplies for someone to find :)

Day 341: Donated Homemade Cookies to a Local Domestic Violence Shelter

Today I hosted a Cookie Exchange Party with my mom! We always have a great time sampling new recipes and playing Holiday games, but this year we also wanted to spread Holiday joy to even more people. We asked those in attendance to bring cookies to share with one another, but also to donate to a local domestic violence shelter. With the help of our friends, we were able to donate about 10 dozen cookies to the shelter today :)

Day 340: Mailed a Christmas Card to a Stranger

Today I decided to mail some Christmas cheer to a stranger! I always enjoy receiving Christmas cards and thought this would be a fun way to brighten someone's day :)

Day 339: Made Dinner for a Friend

Our dear friends recently had a baby and my husband and I are so incredibly happy for them! I can imagine that new parenthood is quite an adventure, so we wanted to make dinner for our friends to hopefully give them one less thing to worry about today. We enjoyed a pleasant evening catching up and laughing about their new experiences :)

Day 338: Left Candy Canes for People to Find

It's the most wonderful time of the year and my Christmas spirit is in full swing! Today I decided to spread some Christmas cheer by leaving candy canes for people of find :)

Day 337: Practiced Positive Affirmations

I was inspired today by the adorable cutie in this video. I thought about how much love would be in the world if we all started our day off like this. So I decided to give it a try! I wrote positive phrases on post-it notes and placed them on my bathroom mirror and read each with a smile on my face.  Positive affirmations set the tone for your day and can ignite kindness in your heart :)

Day 336: Made a Donation to My Alma Mater

Happy Giving Tuesday, a day dedicated to giving back! I wanted to honor my alma mater today as I would not be at this point in my life without the guidance and support of my professors. I am incredibly fond of the memories and lessons learned during my college years and I hope future students can enjoy an experience as I did :)

Day 335: Coordinated a Gift Basket for a Charity Raffle

Today was the start of a local charity raffle that ends this Friday. I coordinated donations for a basket on behave of my department at work. The theme of our basket was an Italian Meal and came complete with a stockpot, specialty pasta and sauces, an oven mitt and dish towel set, a grocery store gift card and more!  I hope this basket helps to earn many donations for the charity raffle :)

Day 334: Shopped for Families in Need

A local school and church in my community team up to sponsor families in need for the Christmas season. In addition to food, families also received clothing and toys, activities, or specially requested items for the children. Many generous people donate money to this cause, but are unable to shop for the items. So today, I picked up needed items for 3 children :)

Day 333: Took a Step of Faith for My Husband

Today is Small Business Saturday and I thought it would be the perfect day to reflect on the new adventure my husband and I began this week. Today marks the end of my husband's first week in his new position at work. He recently stepped down from his role as a manager to a part-time position to further pursue his home business! It has been such a blessing to see his excitement! I thought this photo I took at the Skydeck in Chicago described my feelings perfectly...I'm taking a step of faith and love (stepping into the void), but we have support for each other and also from our family and friends (the glass keeping us safe). 

"You know, sometimes all you need is twenty seconds of insane courage. Just literally twenty seconds of just embarrassing bravery. And I promise you, something great will come of it." --Benjamin Mee, We Bought a Zoo :)

Day 332: Helped Someone in a Different Generation Shop Online

I've only shopped Black Friday sales in person once and I decided that would be the last. I'm always game for online deals though! And it turns out that one of my guests also wanted to take advantage of these sales, but has never shopped online before. So today we searched for the perfect deals and almost finished her entire Christmas list :)

Day 331: Invited Someone New to Thanksgiving Dinner

Today, my husband and I invited someone new to Thanksgiving dinner! It was so fun to enjoy delicious homemade goodies and great conversation. Truly one of the best days of the year :) 

Day 330: Added Thanks to Our Thankful Tree

One of my favorite holidays of the year is upon us! In celebration of Thanksgiving, I made a Thankful Tree this year to record the reasons I am thankful. Today, I spent some time reflecting and adding thanks to the tree. I made sure to leave a few blank for our guests to fill out tomorrow at dinner :) 

Day 329: Gave Someone a Token of Friendship

Yesterday, I received this beautiful pair of earrings from Compliment with a sincere message that read, "We hope you enjoy these earrings. Keep them or pass them on...all we ask is that they are a reminder of the good in the world." I decided to pass them along to one of my best friends that just happened to be visiting from Texas this week...perfect timing! I am so blessed for her friendship and wanted her to know that she was loved :)

Day 328: Laughed at Myself

We shouldn't take life so seriously, right?! That twisted, jumbled mess in the picture is various cords to my electronic devices that hang out beside my favorite chair. I attempted to turn on my computer and noticed that my battery was dead, so I reached down to plug it in. I was surprised to see that it didn't start charging. I have an old computer with the original battery and decided that the battery must be really dead. I went to fetch my replacement, but when I changed the battery, it still didn't turn on even though it was plugged in! I knew it was the charger then, so I went to retrieve my husband's charger. That's when I saw my husband's charger in my twisted, jumbled mess. I had one of the chargers plugged into the wall and the second charger plugged into my computer! Wasted time or a hilarious event? Your attitude determines how you spend your day and can create a ripple effect in those around you :)

Day 327: Created Digital Copies of Priceless Photos

Today I created digital copies of family photos for my husband and his grandmother. Our scanner is broken, but my camera works just a well! I decided as a special gift to create a Shutterfly photo book with these photos too! I can't wait to see the final result :)

Day 326: Gave a Free Meal Coupon to Someone

I received a free meal coupon from one of my favorite restaurants and decided it would be fun to share it with someone else. So today, when I met some friends for dinner I gave the meal coupon to someone getting ready to order :)

Day 325: Helped Pass Out Coats to Families in Need

My incredible mother coordinates a local food pantry and each month, she organizes meal pickups for families in need. This month, with generous donations from the community, over 60 coats were also available to give to these families. So tonight, I helped pass out coats during the pickup. Service to others is truly gratifying :)

Day 324: Helped a Friend Who was Locked Out of Her House

I carpool to work with a friend and today when I dropped her off she noticed she had misplaced her house keys! Her husband wasn't going to arrive home for another 30 minutes or more, so I had her tag along with me while I ran a few errands. It was nice to spend extra time with her today. We never seem to run out of stories to laugh about :)  

Day 323: Mentored a Student

To give back to my profession, I decided to mentor students this year. I've had the honor of mentoring 7 students so far, but I thought today was a fitting time to reflect! Today, I witnessed one of my students truly succeed. As part of my teaching philosophy it is imperative for my students to create their own education and counseling style. I practiced multiple teaching techniques for diabetes with my student over the past few weeks and it was magical to see her perfectly adaptive these techniques to meet the needs of our client today :)

Day 322: Returned a Library Book for a Friend

My friend needed to return her library book today to avoid late fees. The library was on the way home for me, so I gladly returned the book to save her an extra trip :)

Day 321: Shoveled My Neighbor's Sidewalk

I can't believe I'm saying this today, but we woke up to snow this morning! I'm not ready for winter just yet...it's not even Thanksgiving! I decided to make the most of this wintery weather and shoveled my neighbor's sidewalk :)

Day 320: Attempted to Pay for Someone's Groceries

While at the grocery store, the woman in front of me was ready to pay for her items when she realized she forgot her debit card. Without another method of payment, she told the cashier how embarrassed she was and then started to leave.  I stopped her and offered to pay for her items. She was very appreciative and gave me a hug, but ultimately declined to let me pay for her groceries. There is a great lesson to be learned here...sometimes just a small gesture can make someone's day. Sometimes the world needs to be reminded that kindness exists :)

Day 319: Made Gourmet Burgers for Family and Friends

Tonight we had family and friends over to try some homemade gourmet burgers! My husband and I grilled up a delicious Thanksgiving style turkey burger topped with stuffing, cranberry sauce, and mushroom gravy. And we also made a chicken and waffles burger with freshly made pecan waffles, a crispy chicken patty, applewood smoked bacon, and maple syrup. There were a lot of smiling tummies :)

Day 318: Hosted a Friendsgiving Dinner

Tonight I hosted a Friendsgiving Dinner for my book club gal pals. We had a delicious pot luck meal and one of my favorite dishes was pumpkin chili! We spent the evening laughing, catching up, and playing cards. It was a great way to end a tough week :)

Day 317: Donated Canned Goods to the Green BEAN Delivery's Constant Canned Food Drive

We found another reason to love our grocery delivery service! Green BEAN Delivery collects canned goods each week for those in need. We add non-perishable food items to our bin and leave it on our doorstep, then Green BEAN picks up the donation and delivers it to a local food bank. Such a great way to help people in our community :)

Day 316: Left a Happy Birthday Message for My Mom

Today is my mom's birthday and unfortunately, I wasn't able to see her. I decided it would be fun to sing to her over the phone, but she didn't answer! So I sang happy birthday to her answering machine instead! I don't have the best voice, so hopefully she got a laugh in addition to a smile :)