25 Random Acts of Kindness

This year, I wanted to make the Christmas season a little something more than it normally is.
I decided to commit to completing 25 Random Acts of Kindness before December 25th, and we finished yesterday, so here I am telling you about it through this blogpost.
You may ask why I am choosing to throw it out there on public forum if I wanted to stay anonymous... This seems to defeat the purpose, huh?
Well, the point is to make an impact. I want you to read this & turn around and be inspired.
I took pictures of all of the acts, but I decided against posting them.
So here it is...

1) Donate to Goodwill.
It doesn't matter how many times I go through my closet, there always seems to be a stack of stuff I don't need!
2) Leave a Big Tip.
Dakota & I ate at Steak N Shake last week, and we left a big 'ole tip for Dorothy! She was precious, and the moment she came to our table, we knew that we were exactly where we needed to be to give the big tip!
3) Donate Canned Goods to Alexander High School.
Mr. Morrison and the Alexander FFA were holding a canned food drive last week, so I dropped some off. They also had free pictures with Santa for every 5 cans brought in!
4) Donate Pet Food to the Courthouse.
I saw on Debbie Foster's facebook that the courthouse was accepting donation of pet food, so I somehow managed to get a 25 pound bag of dog food up those steps and to the information desk... I really need to get back on a regular exercise schedule... Haha.
5) Leave a Candy Bar for the Mailman.
Dad and I struggled with the rain to make this one happen! I hope that the mailman enjoyed his Hershey's bar on that yucky day!
6) GiftHope Hope Tree.
We picked a few names off of the tree and bought them a few things off of their wishlists. It's always fun to shop with a name in mind. & to pray for them along the way. Quontez and Markel!
7) Take Chocolate Coins to the Bank Tellers.
I think they were the most surprised and thankful!
8) Take Muffins to the Dentist Office.
My baking skills are subpar... But I think they liked them!
9) Leave Candy Bars in Random Mailboxes.
Dakota & I went to Downtown Douglasville, and we picked a few lucky folks to get snickers & hershey's! It was so sunny yesterday though... I sure hope that they didn't melt! Haha.
10) Tape Candy Canes to ATM's.
This is not as simple as it sounds... I hope someone got the candy cane before it fell off.
11) Leave a Gas Card on Someone's Windshield.
12) Leave a Kroger Giftcard on Someone's Windshield.
13) Leave a Starbucks Giftcard on Someone's Windshield.
14) Leave Christmas Cards on Someone's Windshield.
15) Leave Scratch Off Lottery Tickets on Someone's Windshield.
Ok... So we went a little crazy with the windshield thing. But I just love the idea of someone coming to their car and seeing a little gift for them! & They have NO idea where it came from! Very cool!
16) Pay for the People Behind You at the Drive Thru.
I have heard about this sort of thing on the radio & on social media, but I've never actually done it. I have to admit, I was nervous! But it was awesome! The car behind us had two ladies and two kids! I scoped them out, and sent up some prayers for them before we sped away from Martin's!
17) Write Thank You Notes.
18) Leave Quarters on a Coke Machine.
I think the lady at Macy's thought we were trying to rig the machine, but when we explained ourselves, she was delighted!
19) Leave Quarters in the Gumball Machines at the Mall.
You know the little circle of gumball machines at the mall? We left quarters in almost all of them! Now when someone wants a lemonade gumball, they won't have to rummage through their belongings to find a quarter!
20) Leave a Starbucks Giftcard Taped to the Door of a Bathroom Stall.
Thinking about this one makes me laugh!
21) Leave Quarters at the Play Area at the Mall.
Now there's no way parents can get out of letting their kid ride the spaceship thing that barely moves. The change is already there.
22) Take Cookies to the Church.
23) Take Cookies to Mason Creek Middle.
Homemade cookies might I add. With beautiful bows! :)
24) Leave Dollars Throughout Walmart.
Under the soap bottles. With the duct tape. Next the the kitty litter. Etc!
25) Adopt A Family.
This is our second year adopting a family.
It is one of the most rewarding things that we do, I think. It is so fun to have names and ages and sizes and likes/dislikes! I have been praying over them, and we'll meet them on Friday! I am so excited!

When you're little, the magic of Christmas seems like it comes on so strongly with little to no effort.
The older we get, the season seems to be more hectic. More about money. More about making plans and being on a schedule.
Don't forget what Christmas is about. The love of our God. Him coming to Earth to make an incredible sacrifice for us. He wants us yesterday, today and forever. & that is magic.
How does leaving a giftcard on someone's windshield help them to know Jesus? Well, just think. Maybe this individual is having a hard time. Going through something terrible. Maybe their heart it hurting. Maybe they have given up on the whole Christmas thing. The whole Jesus thing. & then they see a little, teensy, tiny something the says that someone out there cares. Someone is thinking about them. Maybe God orchestrated things so that we ended up crossing their path on purpose. You just never know what one act of kindness can do.
Don't forget the magic. Don't ever allow yourself to become complacent. Keep reaching out.

Christmas & Whatnot!

The reason I logged on to the blog in the first place was to do this award thing that Carrie Cochran passed on to me. It looked like fun, and I wanted to do it. But it involved tagging people in the blog and stuff... & after a few hours, I have resolved that I do not know how to do that. I need to learn, and hopefully, I will one day.
I saw that I haven't posted in a while, and I wanted to just check in to say that everything has been CRAZY!
Incredible! But crazy! So busy.
I hope to get on after Christmas and write more details about some cool things that we did this year to reach out to people around us.
This Christmas season has meant something really different than normal.
I am overwhelmed with blessings.