ORIGINALLY POSTED ON YODELINGMAMAS.COM
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I’d love to say I’m one of those moms who doesn’t let her kids watch TV. But I’m not one of those moms who lies about it either. It’s true, my kids have watched Merry Madagascar many (many) times since we taped it on Thanksgiving Eve. They can’t seem to get enough of it. And while there are a few tidbits they’ve picked up that I’m not especially proud of, there’s one line that my older son loves that really captures the spirit of the season.
When King Julian, the selfish scrooge of the show, decides to try giving to someone else, he says, “It makes me feel all warm and tingly inside. Like pinworms!”
I’ve never experienced pinworms (and frankly I hope that’s something I’ll be able to claim for the rest of my life), but that warm and tingly feeling has been overflowing this month, thanks to Yahoo!’s Ripples of Kindness program and the Yahoo! Mother Board’s involvement.
The assignment? Make someone’s day. The hope? That the person (or people) you do something unexpected for would be so touched by the random act of kindness, that they too would do something to make someone else smile. And in doing so, each person would make a ripple of kindness this holiday season.
I’ve seen ripples spread far and wide. My favorite part is that each person was inspired to do something so different.
Fun Around Town
Samantha put a new spin on stalking and surprised people in her community by anonymously paying for gas, bagels and lotto tickets. Jessica paid for her son’s first grade class to go experience a local play. Kimberly found some mom friends who needed a bit of a boost and treated them to pedicures. From creating chalk sidewalk drawings to picking up drive thru tabs, there’s no end to how a little gesture makes a big difference.
People in Need
Sure, there are wonderful charities to give to. But what about that neighbor or classmate who needs a bit of a boost this season? Teach Mama surprised a neighbor going through financial struggles by anonymously leaving gift cards in her mailbox throughout the holiday season. Cristie reached out to a beloved teacher at her kids’ school and surprised her with a goodie bag to make her train rides to her grandbaby’s cancer treatments a bit easier. Lexi, whose triplets had spent far too long in the NICU years before, provided snacks, disposable cameras and more for parents going through that hardship this year.
Kindness Continued
While one random act of kindness can make a big difference, there were others who were inspired to make their ripple go even further and last even longer. ChefDruck created the 12 Days of Kindness and found all kinds of things she could do through the season. Ilina took the opportunity to teach her kids the lasting lesson of kindness. And Kelly invited her readers to become a part of her ripple by asking for ideas to fund and committing to making acts of kindness an on-going subject on her blog.
While I could go on and on, the stories are too many to count. And that not only makes me smile. It makes me feel all warm and tingly inside.
Have you done any random acts of kindness this season? I’d love to hear from you…hopefully together we can inspire the good to continue through the year ahead.
Use Your Words