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Yesterday & Today

5/31/2014

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This Month have had me thinking about what doing acts of kindness has meant to me and changed all my thoughts of yesterday and today. Yesterday I met a stranger. Today this stranger is my friend. Had I not taken the time to say hello, or return a smile, or shake a hand, or listen, I would not have known this person. Yesterday would have turned into today and our chance meeting would be gone. Yesterday I hugged someone very dear to me. Today they are gone and tomorrow will not bring them back. Wouldn’t it be nice if we all knew tomorrow would be here? But this is not to be, so take the time TODAY to give a hug, a smile, an “I love you.”

With that said, I want to share a story I read as part of this months blog. It was something this touched me and thought it might touch someone else.


Today Is A Gift That Is Why We Call It The Present

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Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room. One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain the fluid from his lungs. His bed was next to the room’s only window. The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back. The men talked for hours on end. They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, where they had been on vacation. And every afternoon when the man in the bed by the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window. The man in the other bed began to live for those one-hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and color of the world outside. The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake. Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Young lovers walked arm in arm midst flowers of every color of the rainbow. Grand old trees graced the landscape, and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance. As the man by the window described all this in exquisite detail, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine the picturesque scene. One warm afternoon the man by the window described a parade passing by. Although the other man couldn’t hear the band – he could see it in his mind’s eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words. Days and weeks passed. One morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths only to find the lifeless body of the man by the window, who had died peacefully in his sleep. She was saddened and called the hospital attendants to take the body away. As soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man asked if he could be moved next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch, and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone. Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look at the world outside. Finally, he would have the joy of seeing it for himself. He strained to slowly turn to look out the window beside the bed. It faced a blank wall. The man asked the nurse what could have compelled his deceased roommate who had described such wonderful things outside this window. The nurse responded that the man was blind and could not even see the wall. She said, “Perhaps he just wanted to encourage you.” Epilogue. . . .There is tremendous happiness in making others happy, despite our own situations. Shared grief is half the sorrow, but happiness when shared, is doubled. If you want to feel rich, just count all of the things you have that money can’t buy. “Today is a gift, that’s why it is called the present.”


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Out of the blue, send flowers to a friend
Flowers have an immediate impact on happiness. All study participants expressed "true" or "excited" smiles upon receiving flowers, demonstrating extraordinary delight and gratitude. This reaction was universal, occurring in all age groups. Flowers have a long-term positive effect on moods. Specifically, study participants reported feeling less depressed, anxious and agitated after receiving flowers, and demonstrated a higher sense of enjoyment and life satisfaction. Flowers make intimate connections. The presence of flowers led to increased contact with family and friends.

This months featured Act of Kindness
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    Operation: Share Ashleigh's Heart

    

    Began when Ashleigh Lindsey’s mom was struggling with the most negative experience any mother could have…the murder of a child and unborn grandchild. March 21st was Tara Woodlee’s birthday but instead of a day full of celebration it became a day full of tears and sadness. On March 21st, 2012 was the day Ashleigh called her Mom crying from a bathroom. She had been burnt in the face with a cigarette by her then finance, Joshua Mahaffey. It was the day Ashleigh’s nightmare of physical abuse began at the hands of the man she loved. What was worse for Tara was that Joshua’s birthday was the same day as Tara’s. How do you share a birthday with the murderer of your child?      

    In March of 2014, Tara decided that she wanted to turn that Negative into a Positive! She thought of Ashleigh and how full of life and generosity. If anything could overcome evil it was Ashleigh’s heart. She was big on random acts of kindness every day. She didn’t have to think twice about doing them it was just in her nature. So, Tara made a list of the top 20 things she saw her daughter do in kindness and created an event on Facebook. She asked friends and family to join in and Operation: Share Ashleigh’s Heart began. On March 21st, 2014 over 450 people made a commitment to do one act of random kindness in honor of Ashleigh Marie Lindsey. The response was overwhelming.

    Since….Operation: Share Ashleigh’s heart did so much to heal Tara’s heart since she pledge to do all 20 acts of kindness on the list with in a weeks’ time…She thought….why not make this a yearly event. Better yet, why not make this a blog where ideas can be shared on how to change one person’s day with a single unselfish act. And Ashleigh’s Heart Lives On!!!!!!

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