Give more…

Yesterday I threw all of my thoughts out there in an incoherent post that I hoped would help me make sense of the feelings and ideas on my heart after the Newtown CT tragedy… I don’t know if those words meant anything to anyone but me but I felt it necessary to at least get those thoughts out.

This morning however, I saw several things that really pulled at my heart strings.

It started with the quote above that was shared several times but I saw it thanks to Evin over at Food Good Laundry Bad.

Think on those words for a moment…

As I pondered the sentiment, another of my favorite quotes came to mind…

We can either do what we wish others would do or we can complain about the state of the world… and then, I read an amazing post from Shannon over at Aries Mommy… A Call for Kindness… and I knew I had to write these words as a public commitment to myself… because what this world really needs is more kindness…

Is one act of kindness going to save the world? Probably not… but what if…

What if you were able to touch the heart of another in a profound way without even knowing it?

What if giving a stranger a smile was all they needed to keep going that day?

What if during the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, if no other time of year,  you were able to do something that in your mind is insignificant – paying for someone’s coffee, leaving a $10 bill in a random book for another to find, leaving a flower on someone’s car with a simple note telling them that they matter- and that one simple act of kindness transformed someone’s life?

What if that one act of kindness sparked a ripple effect of paying it forward?

And what if… we all felt our burdens lifted because the abundance of love, empathy, compassion, and kindness in our respective sphere of influence was greater than the hate, anger, animosity, stress of the moment… After all, love begets love… hate begets hate…

Over the next few days I will be looking for ways to spread kindness throughout the year and beyond.  I will be talking with my kids about the importance of spreading love and not hate.  Together, my family and I will be coming up with ways that we impact the lives of others and will work together to incorporate kindness into every day.  I will share these thoughts with you and hope you will do the same.

I may not be able to change the whole world… but I can change my world.  That’s what I can do to honor the victims in Newtown.  That’s how I can honor all who have been victims in senseless or hate fueled crimes.

I think that is really the answer I was looking for … not trying to make sense of it all because nothing about this makes sense.  Instead I was looking for what I could do to treasure moments with my children and to teach them kindness, empathy, respect, and most of all love for our fellow man… What will you do?