Kindness in Competition

December 5th

Yesterday my sisters and I participated in A Christmas Story Run in Cleveland and I witnessed a lot of kindness. There was a gentleman who stood on his balcony and wished all the runners a Merry Christmas and cheered us on as we completed the last stretch of our run.

One of my sisters had surgery on her knee and has not been cleared to run. She has run A Christmas Story Run every year since it started 3 years ago. She decided she would still do it but walk instead. Every year the race runs out of medals so my other sister and I had to run in order to ensure we would receive one. So when we were finished, we went back to walk with her and finish all together.

 

After the race, as we were walking back toward the buses we noticed how many runners were falling and almost hitting their faces on the asphalt over a bump in the road so we stayed to warn people prior to crossing it.

 

 

 

As runners were waiting in line to get on the bus to shuttle us back to our cars, our line noticed a four month old baby waiting in back. It was 30 degrees and windy so the line let the baby on first. Then when there wasn't space or the stroller, a woman volunteered to move in order to get the stroller on. We also let the baby off first.

 





December 6th

My mom, sister, and I went to cheer on my other sister and brother in law at a cyclocross race this morning. They seemed to appreciate our support and I brought a smile to my sisters face as I quoted lines from A Christmas Story to cheer her on. I heard competitors congratulate each other on a good race when they finished. A good Samaritan brought a huge smile to my face when I lost my phone at the race. I looked everywhere! I even searched through a trash can in case I accidently threw it out with my trash. Then I heard the announcer announce someone had turned in a cell phone that was found in the parking lot. Thank you good Samaritan!! You definitely made my day!!

Who did you make smile today?

Why sit around and wait for a miracle to come when we can be one?

It's been a while so I will start with as many Random Acts of Kindness as I can remember from the past few months!

-A random stranger stopped and helped a friend of mine change her tire as she waited for AAA. Then she no longer needed AAA.

-My grandmother came to stay with my sister after her surgery so I could go back to work

-My sister sent my grandmother flowers for helping her so much

-My sister paid for the car behind us in the Starbucks drive thru

-Friends invited my dad over for Thanksgiving dinner when they realized he would be alone for the holiday

-A friend of mine worried a lot of people when he was having a rough time in his life. He left some worrisome messages and then we lost contact with him. When police located his car, 20 of us traveled 90 min to join the search. Thankfully he was ok, but it's great how a community can come together so fast in a time of need and it meant a lot to my friend to know that so many people cared about him

-High School students went to bring feed the Ronald McDonald House at Riley Hospital for Children

-My church is in the process of getting a comfort dog. The woman in charge has taken on a huge role by organizing this ministry and is doing an amazing job. I have always wanted to be apart of something like this and I'm thankful we have her to take on this project.

-For my job, I take a little girl with medical needs to school. When walking in, I have my hands full as I am holding her hand and carrying an overstuffed book bag with her medical supplies and a suction machine. While trying to open the door, there have several instances where children have run up a head of us to open the door for me. Sweet kids!

-Last night I had minimal time to get home and eat before heading to a concert. My sister knowing I'd be short on time, let the dogs out for me before I got home. When we got home, she also fed the dogs.

-Yesterday my sister and I also decided to split the cost of sponsoring a child in Malawi. Last week I was talking with the mother of one of my patients about the differences between the United States and her home country. She was explaining how it's difficult for her to understand this countries culture of entitlement. In her home country, her family has enough to survive. In this country, everything is a "want" and not a "need" and we have a hard time realizing the difference between the two. Last night, we heard more stories other cultures fighting for necessities to survive. They travel two hours by foot to a watering hole. Once there, they actually physically fight each other to get water for their families because if they don't their loved ones will go without. This is all for 5 gallons of water. 5 GALLONS for an entire family. We use 5 gallons of water per minute when we shower. Between my discussion with the mother last week and learning a more in depth perspective of these hardships, I really felt moved to cut my own expenses in order to make sure a child with nothing has a better chance of survival. We were assigned a boy named Angelo and I will keep you posted on his progress!

 

 

Who did you make smile today?

 

 

A lot to blog about!

There has been a lot of random acts of kindness in the month of July that I have failed to take the time to blog about. I know there will be some I will forget to include but here are the ones I remember:

-Friends from the church I belonged to in Ohio brought Rosie, their comfort dog, to my current church. This was to spark interest in having our own comfort dog. Rosie was a hit and there seemed to be many church members interested in volunteering for the comfort dog ministry. Huge thanks to my mom for arranging this.

-My sister took a staycation to help me watch a friends child for 3 days. Because of medical needs someone has to sit next to her so Julie was our chauffeur and we had a blast!

-A friend of a widows husband called to check in her and the call moved her to tears (happy tears of course)

-The same widow was talking to me about how she doesn't receive a lot of encouragement as she continues to find normalcy in life again. I sent her an uplifting text message that included this verse:

 

Philippians 4:6-7New International Version (NIV)

⁶ Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

 

She was extremely appreciative and told me that was exactly what she needed that day as she was having the first meeting regarding her husbands headstone. I also sent her  the book When God Winks at you. She probably hasn't received in yet but I think she will appreciate and enjoy it.

-My sister was involved in a car accident when a truck pulled out of a gas station and t-boned her. I let her borrow my car while her vehicle was in the shop and she hadn't gotten her rental car yet.

-When I worked at Riley Hospital for children, I was part of an incredible team that worked in the infant ICU. After working there for two and a half years, IU Health decided to shut down the unit. This forced us all to separate. Some nurses were laid of, some transferred to other units within the hospital, some forced into early retirement. Despite being scattered, we have all remained in contact with one another. The unit has been closed for a year and a half now and we were all able to get together for an Infant ICU reunion. This is incredibly rare in the nursing field. Because there are so many different areas of nursing, employees will come and go and simply lose contact. I feel so blessed to have been part of a group that has refused to let time and distance separate us. I had a lovely time at dinner and since my sister had my car, a friend drove me home.

 

-I was at a picnic and saw a father daughter that had an awesome bond. I took the time to tell them they were inspiring and to not let go of that bond

-A friends child had surgery and she had several supporters that traveled to see her. Her grandfather also bought me and the child's parents lunch.

-My sister came to cycling class with me (she hates it but I like it) so the next day I surprised her by showing up at her turbo kick class (I hate it but she likes it)

-I've been collecting boxes for a friend that is moving

-A friend had my sister and I over for dinner. It was delicious!

-My sister injured her knee at volleyball and is unable to drive so a friend drove her home. Many people have also been texting her and sending messages of quick healing

-My dad was in town for work so he stayed with me to save money on hotel expenses

-I left work early to take my sister to the ortho doc. I've also been helping her out a little around the house

-my mom and I arranged to pick up my sisters car that she had to leave in a parking lot when she was injured

-My sister and I went to a concert and as we were walking in (or in my sisters case, hobbling in), the handicap parking security said they would let us in without a sticker. So I went to pick up the car and parked in the handicap area. It was much easier on my sister after the show and we were able to get home in 11 minutes since we didn't have to sit in much traffic!

-While at the concert we noticed that a group of 3 friends had been separated, leaving one friend to sit alone. My sister and I had a friend that was unable to go so we had an extra seat. Even though it was nice to have the extra room for my sisters, we decided that we would want people to let us sit together if possible. So we moved down and squished in so they could enjoy the concert together

Who did you make smile today?

Racing brings family together

I am really slacking on my blogs and I apologize. I will try to be better. Here are some things that made me and others smile in the past couple weeks:

-I left the gym last week to find this note on my car

My sister saw my car in the parking lot as she was walking in for a class and placed the note on my windshield.

-I continue to feel blessed to have an amazing job where I meet extraordinary people.

-While I was at work last night, I received a message that the case I was supposed to work today was cancelled. I asked the mom whose case I was currently working if she had a nurse the next day. When she said she didn't, I offered to come back the next morning to help. She was ecstatic. The client had 2 hours of therapy the next day so she was very thankful for the help. She was also able to get a lot of errands done. I think it's safe to say that I made her smile and made her day a little better.

-My family has been racing karts for 15 years. I'm very thankful that our family has been able to stay close because of our love of the sport. My dad has been able to turn his karting expertise into a living. Even though he has paying customers that require his attention, he has still been able to provide a kart for me to race. It always makes me smile when I hear him say "Good luck kiddo. Have fun kiddo. Love ya kiddo" every time I sit on the grid. I also see him cheering me on from the sidelines. My sister and mom also come out to the track. It means so much to have their support. My sister often brags about my performance on facebook and includes #proudsister in her posts. This always makes me smile. When the races are over, my dad frequently tells me that I'm always his favorite person to watch race. Simply being at the racetrack, puts a smile on my face.

An incredible family, an inspirational woman

Wednesday:
A friend asked me to lunch. She reached out to me because she thought she hurt my feelings a few weeks ago and wanted to make sure everything was fine between us. I was so glad that she felt like she could talk to me about this and get it resolved. It made me smile to know that she valued our friendship enough to straighten things out.

I went to get my oil  changed following lunch and a valvoline employee made me smile. I have a "resting bitch face" so he thought I was unhappy. He starting joking around with me telling me I needed to smile. No frowns! lol He was funny and he succeeded in making me smile.

Thursday:
The girl I care for returned home from being out of town for medical reasons for 10 days so I went to her house in the morning to decorate the house.. The family loved it and thanked me. I made them smile and in return it made me smile as well.

I was sent to a new case for work and I met an incredible family. A few months ago, a terrible tragedy stuck this family and their lives changed forever. I was so impressed by their faith and determination to carry on. They are so sweet and nice. After experiencing such loss, it is easy to turn on God and become bitter to the world. This family refuses to be broken. The mother even told me "I've lost everything, I can't lose God too". Wow. I feel like this woman may be the most inspirational person I have ever met. While this situation doesn't make me smile as I would not wish this to happen to my worst enemy, it makes me feel very blessed to have a job in which I can meet so many extraordinary people. Extraordinary people that motivate me to be a better person and force me to put the little things in life into perspective. Please pray for this family as their difficulties are far from over. After meeting them, I know it will be a long and difficult road but I also know that if anyone can make it through this, it will be this family.

A long day of work

Today I worked a 14 hour shift. Normally, I have to turn down these lengthy shifts because I have two dogs at home that have to be let out. However, I really wanted to do the shift because my hours are cut during the summer so I try to get as many shifts in as I can. So my sister stepped up, yet again, to watch the dogs so I could work this shift.

I bought the client a lego star wars set that he has been wanting and he was very happy. He thanked me numerous times without being told! That is a big deal for him! lol This also made me smile to know that he was enjoying his gift.

When I returned home the bathroom was clean! and there was a watermelon cake waiting for me! Thanks sis!!

Who did you make smile today?

Smiles in Cincinatti

For the last few days I've been in Cincinnati to be there for the girl I care for during one of her numerous surgeries. Here are the smiles during the trip:

-in order to be there my sister agreed to watch my dogs for me. I'm very grateful for her offering to this for me as it saves me money and stress!
-her parents allowing me to be there during these important surgeries
-a family friend allowed us all to stay at there house to save money on a hotel
-her dad bought me a milkshake and her mom cooked me dinner last night
-i brought a gift for the girl for always being so brave
-yesterday I picked up medication for the girl and brought back lunch for her parents
-CVS was crazy busy and the employees were looking stressed. I told the cashier I hope it slows down and to have a good day
-At Kroger, the cashier was so friendly he made me smile just watching him. He truly loves his job and people. He is a person that can make people smile by just being in their presence
-the grandparents of the little girl bought the family a humidifier for her room at night to help prevent bleeding from any dryness
-the mom was up most of the night suctioning the girl so when I woke up this morning the mom was able to get some good sleep for a few hours while I watched her daughter

It is great to see so many people support one another in a time of need.

Who did you make smile today?