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 :)