Meet Rachel

Meet Rachel

In honor of her 9th birthday, Rachel asked friends and family to donate money to bring clean water to an African village and was close to meeting her goal of $300 when she died over the weekend after a car accident July 20, 2011, in Bellevue, Wash. In her memory, strangers have now made her dream come true many times over and by Wednesday afternoon, some 10,000 people had donated more than $400,000 to "charity: water."

I saw this story in the newspaper this morning and it touched my heart.  First, because little 9 year old Rachel Beckwith was showing such unselfish kindness raising money for a charity for her birthday.  Second, after she was tragically killed in a car accident last week I am in awe at all the strangers who have passed on her kindness by donating money to her last wish.  It is amazing what $9 can do when donated in memory of an angel!

To read the complete story click HERE

To see Rachel's website click HERE

Week 8--Kindness Challenge--July 25th

Pray for someone everyday this week.

Sometimes the only thing you can do for someone who is going through a hard time is to pray for them.  It is so very important and so overlooked.  Those prayers are heard!

A Friend--How a small act of Kindness really did make a difference

I was emailed the following story--I don't know if it is true or not, but it really doesn't matter because it teaches a great lesson on how small acts of kindness really do make a difference!

One day, when I was a freshman in high school, I saw a kid from my class was walking home from school; his name was Kyle. It looked like he was carrying all of his books. I thought to myself, 'Why would anyone bring home all his books on a Friday? He must really be a nerd.'

I had quite a weekend planned (parties and a football game with my friends tomorrow afternoon), so I shrugged my shoulders and went on. As I was walking, I saw a bunch of kids running toward him.
They ran at him, knocking all his books out of his arms and tripping him so he landed in the dirt. His glasses went flying, and I saw them land in the grass about ten feet from him…

He looked up and I saw this terrible sadness in his eyes; my heart went out to him. So, I jogged over to him as he crawled around looking for his glasses, and I saw a tear in his eye. As I handed him his glasses, I said, 'Those guys are jerks.' They really should get lives. ' He looked at me and said, 'Hey thanks!' There was a big smile on his face. It was one of those smiles that showed real gratitude.

I helped him pick up his books, and asked him where he lived. As it turned out, he lived near me, so I asked him why I had never seen him before. He said he had gone to private school before now. I would have never hung out with a private school kid before. We talked all the way home, and I carried some of his books. He turned out to be a pretty cool kid. I asked him if he wanted to play a little football with my friends. He said yes.

We hung out all weekend and the more I got to know Kyle, the more I liked him, and my friends thought the same of him. Monday morning came, and there was Kyle with the huge stack of books again. I stopped him and said, 'Boy, you are gonna really build some serious muscles with this pile of books everyday! He just laughed and handed me half the books.

Over the next four years, Kyle and I became best friends… When we were seniors we began to think about college. Kyle decided on Georgetown and I was going to Duke. I knew that we would always be friends, that the miles would never be a problem. He was going to be a doctor and I was going for business on a football scholarship…

Kyle was valedictorian of our class. I teased him all the time about being a nerd… He had to prepare a speech for graduation. I was so glad it wasn't me having to get up there and speak!

Graduation day, I saw Kyle. He looked great. He was one of those guys that really found himself during high school. He filled out and actually looked good in glasses. He had more dates than I had and all the girls loved him. Boy, sometimes I was jealous! Today was one of those days.

I could see that he was nervous about his speech. So, I smacked him on the back and said, 'Hey, big guy, you'll be great!' He looked at me with one of those looks (the really grateful one) and smiled. Thanks,' he said. As he started his speech, he cleared his throat, and began: 'Graduation is a time to thank those who helped you make it through those tough years. Your parents, your teachers, your siblings, maybe a coach...but mostly your friends... I am here to tell all of you that being a friend to someone is the best gift you can give them. I am going to tell you a story.'

I just looked at my friend with disbelief as he told the first day we met. He had planned to kill himself over the weekend. He talked of how he had cleaned out his locker so his Mom wouldn't have to do it later and was carrying his stuff home. He looked hard at me and gave me a little smile. 'Thankfully, I was saved. My friend saved me from doing the unspeakable..'

I heard the gasp go through the crowd as this handsome, popular boy told us all about his weakest moment. I saw his Mom and dad looking at me and smiling that same grateful smile. Not until that moment did I realize it's depth. Never underestimate the power of your actions… With one small gesture you can change a person's life. For better or for worse. God puts us all in each others lives to impact one another in some way. Look for God in others!

Friends are angels who lift us to our feet when our wings have trouble remembering how to fly.

Week 7-Kindness Challenge--July 18th

Give up something for someone else this week--a seat, the last cookie, a parking space, etc. 

Have you ever experienced someone giving up something for you?  When I was expecting I had to go in and have a blood test done.  When I got to the lab all the seats were taken.  It was really hard for me to stand for long periods of time so I wasn't looking forward to the wait.  Just then one of the men waiting picked up all his stuff and offered his seat to me--I was forever grateful!

A Miracle Garden--K.I.N.

Behind Martha Carlson's neatly trimmed house, K'nyaw Say Paw kneels in the dirt and places a tomato seed in the rich earth. Around her, other refugee children laugh and play in a garden that has been a boon to them, Carlson and a broader community that has taken them in.

Maybe it started with Carlson, who at 86 was too old to care for the vacant land behind her home. "I was talking to my Father in heaven saying I can't do this anymore," she said. "I didn't know he was going to send 50 people from Burma to solve my problem."

"It was just like a big gift," Carlson said, raising her hands toward the heavens. "I get to give them a big gift, so both of us are happy."

To read the full Article click HERE

Week 6--Kindness Challenge--July 11th

Take time for yourself this week to do something just for you! 

This is another one of the "refilling your own bucket" challenges so that you can reach out to others.

Weekly Kindness Challenge #5--July 4th

Leave a bag of candy with an I'm thinking of you card on someone's doorstep this week.

This is my favorite kindness challenge, because this is what I did every month last year to help myself deal with my grief.  This helped me to refocus and remember the good along with the sad.