My heart still weeps for the 26 beautiful souls that started their morning on December 14th in Newtown CT, like any other day. They woke up, got ready for school never knowing that this was their last morning they would ever hug their mom and dad goodbye. They were excited for the new day, excited to see their friends, their teachers and were ready to fill their noggins will all kinds of juicy new knowledge at Sandy Hook Elementary School. As a mom and nurturer by nature I was horrified and tears flowed abundandly after reading of the tragedy. I wanted nothing more than to swoop in and do something, anything to ease the sadness and pain that the country felt at that moment and forever more.
Once I had the courage, I talked to my kids gently about this tragedy. I wanted to tread lightly as they were still healing their hearts from the Jessica Ridgeway abduction and murder that took place locally here in Colorado, only a few months earlier. My children were understandably frightened, but I didn’t want them to be controlled and guided by that fear. I wanted them to still hold on to their innocence and to know that there is still beauty everywhere they turned.
I wanted to do something that showed my children to never lose faith in humanity and that there is still kind, gentle and wonderful people that walk amongst us. I wanted to show them this by example. Then it hit me! I would show my kids what Random Acts of Kindness is. I did a little poking around on Facebook and the internet and found that I was not alone in my thoughts. There were groups and communities that were supporting the very same idea of performing 26 random acts of kindness to represent each person who had taken their last breath at Sandy Hook Elementary School that day.
I am happy to report that I have successfully started my 26 random acts of kindness mission. It was fun to tell the kids about my intentions. I won’t lie they looked at me oddly, but had this intense sense of wonder in their eyes. They didn’t quite understand the concept. They had tons of questions and were genuinely intrigued to see how something like this would work. I told them, it will come naturally. I explained in detail to them what types of people I hoped to encounter and I was going to begin this journey right away. I immediately completed 4 of the 26 random acts of kindness.
The first three random acts of kindness came when the kids and I went to have dinner at one of our favorite little salad bar restaurants. As we waited to pay for our meals I turned and looked at the three people behind me and said, “I would like to pay for your dinners”. They looked at me baffled. I continued to explain my 26 random acts of kindness mission. The cashier, said, “oh I heard about that, how cool that I get to see and experience it happen here at work”. The three people were so humbled and grateful. I bought dinner for a single lady who was tired and stressed from the day and was getting a to-go order. The other 2 were a lovable grandmother and her granddaughter duo. The granddaughter was so sweet as she kept saying god bless you and thank you. The little girl was hugging and standing behind her grandmother in complete shyness, it was adorable. The cute little girl later came to our table with a plate full of ice cream and sprinkles for us to enjoy as her own token of kindness. The 4th random act of kindness was a generous contribution to a person that I hold very dear to myself and my Virtual Assistant Business here in Colorado to help her through the holidays while she endures medical assistance. It warmed my heart to know that my contribution will help her sleep better and support her family through the holidays.
The kids have been so excited and are telling everyone about our 26 Random Acts of Kindness endeavors. They have come up with some brilliant ideas. We have 22 more random acts of kindness to complete. It won’t be hard, my kids and I are so happy and full of light and love to be able to do this in honor of;
Charlotte Bacon, 6
Daniel Barden, 7
Rachel D’Avino, 29
Olivia Engel, 6
Josephine Gay, 7
Dylan Hockley, 6
Madeleine Hsu, 6
Catherine Hubbard, 6
Chase Kowalski, 7
Dawn Lafferty Hochsprung, 47
Jesse Lewis, 6
Ana Marquez-Greene, 6
James Mattioli, 6
Grace McDonnell, 7
Anne Marie Murphy, 52
Emilie Parker, 6
Jack Pinto, 6
Noah Pozner, 6
Caroline Previdi, 6
Jessica Rekos, 6
Avielle Richman, 6
Lauren Rousseau, 30
Mary Sherlach, 56
Victoria Soto, 27
Benjamin Wheeler, 6
Allison Wyatt, 6
Check out this awesome 26 Random Acts of Kindness community facebook page for ideas on how you too can join this extraordinary kindness initiative. AND Remember don’t stop at 26 – keep it going and pay it forward…always!
Download your copy of 26 Random Acts of Kindness honor cards.
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