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Monthly Archives: February 2018

Does Your Voice Smile?

There are some people you can just hear the smile in their voice.  I hear the smile in Andrea’s voice.  Andrea is my granddaughter’s piano teacher.   She is an amazing teacher, who relates well to children.  She sees the wonder and positivity in everything; her excitement is contagious.  

 

Andrea also relates well to adults.  I will never forget her kindness.  I took Ally to her piano lesson.  Unfortunately, when we were ready to leave to my dismay my car would not turn over; the battery was dead.  It was a dreadfully cold night of 10 degrees with a chilly wind.  Andrea said, “No problem!  I can jump your car!”   Andrea missed her appointment, pushed my car so she could get her car in position and successfully jumped my car.  She also made sure my phone was adequately charged, in case I didn’t make it home.   All this was amazing enough, but she perceived this not as inconvenience but as an adventure.   I often feel guilty when I inconvenience others but Andrea willingness was unbelievable, she made me feel like we were having a fun ladies night.  

 

The next time I am able to support and help someone, I will remember that frigid night when Andrea voice warmed my heart.   I hope a missed appointment, chilly fingers or any other inconvenience will not show in my voice.  I hope my willingness will come across crystal clear.   By the way, I now know how to jump a car; Andrea is a great teacher!  I award Andrea with this month’s Caring Heart Award for her willingness and kindness.

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Staying in Touch: Barbara Hirsh can be reached at info@LiveKinder.com  I love hearing your kindness stories.  Please sign-up for almost weekly kindness message at www.LiveKinder.com or follow LiveKinder on Facebook! 

Do you know someone that deserves a Caring Heart award?

Everyone thinks they are kind, but how kind are you, really?  Live Kinder helps you consider how you can be kinder.  Order the book for yourself and others to help make our world a kinder place.

You Can Change the World!

I believe we all can change the world.  Of course, we are not all destined to be Mother Teresa, but I do believe, we all are put on the earth to help and love one another in our own way.  That’s what Caring Heart Winners do; they change their piece of the world.  A good example is this month’s Caring Heart Winner, Nina Fournier.

 

Nina with her husband, Al, founded Janie’s Dolly’s for Recovery, a non-profit organization. Janie’s Dolly’s was conceived in April 2017.  The first doll was given away in May 2017.  Unfortunately, Al passed away last September. Nina’s grief over Al’s passing has been made more tolerable by knowing she is carrying out a dream that he envisioned. Nina said it has impacted all aspects of her life; most notably, her heart.

 

Janie’s Dolly’s donates an 18 inch doll with a scrub outfit complete with a stethoscope and also a party dress to girls that are in the hospital for extended medical treatments.  Some of the girls had horrific dog bites, brain tumors, extreme burns, or chronic eye treatments; what they all have in common was they all needed something to smile about. Nina’s mission is to bring a smile to seriously ill girls, to let them forget their troubles while they play with their dolls. What I find endearing about Nina is she uses her talents and passion to be kinder to others, to make a small piece of the world a better place.  What a better world we would have if we all did more kind acts.

 

Even though, we are not all destined to be Mother Teresa, we can all change someone’s world through our talents. If all you can do today is to support those that want to change the world, that is enough for today.   At the very least, go support Nina’s mission by “liking” and “following” her face book page, Janies Dollys   If you can do more, she’ll appreciate money to buy dolls, or donations of material or fasteners to make doll clothes, or just your prayers and encouragement. I have decided to help her by making buttons for her dolly’s clothes.    For more information, see her web page.  You can also contact Nina via email on behalf of a doll aged girl in an extended medical situation. She will need parental permission.  Nina has sent dolls all over the United States. 

 

If you have been thinking about how you can make a difference, go ahead and do it.  You, too, can change the world for the better, at least your piece of it.   In Mother Teresa’s words, “Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.”

 

Nina’s advice:  “It is a humbling experience to find out what others go through. Please take a step to help in whatever way you can.  If more people helped one another sincerely, this world would be a better place. Volunteer, help others and enjoy the interaction.”

Do you know someone that deserves a Caring Heart award?

Staying in Touch: Barbara Hirsh can be reached at info@LiveKinder.com  I love hearing your kindness stories.  Please sign-up for almost weekly kindness message at www.LiveKinder.com or follow LiveKinder on Facebook! 

What Do Your Excuses Say About You?

   

I have come to realize that every emotion is based either in love or in fear.  Examples of the love based emotions are joy, peace, gratitude, and compassion.  Examples of fear emotions include sadness, anger, anxiety, and hatred.  You are either acting from a place of love or a place of fear.  When you understand this you have your own litmus test to understand your emotions and resulting actions.  Simple ask, “Are you acting from a place of fear or a place of love?”

Your excuses are sometimes used as justifications for not living from a place of love.   An example of an excuse born out of fear is the justification you don’t have to be nice to someone because the other person did something disrespectful to you.

My husband has given blood for years, but I always had excuses.  I don’t like needles and I might faint or the time is not right because I had something more important to do, were two of my favorite excuses.  Both of these were born from fear.  I faced my fear and gave blood for the first time. Guess what I didn’t faint and it took only 45 minutes from when I walked into the room until I walked out of the door.

Being kind sometimes means facing your fears and doing it anyway.  We think of being kind as giving money to a favorite charity or a gift to someone but kindness doesn’t have to cost money, you can give someone your time or even your blood.  This Valentine’s Day give a gift of life to a stranger.  It may mean the difference between life and death to a child fighting leukemia, someone having surgery or a police officer shot in the line of duty.  Isn’t that worth 45 minutes of your day?  When it is your turn to receive blood you will be grateful someone said no to their excuses.

Even on the road to giving blood, fear started taking hold by asking, “Why do you want to subject yourself to this unpleasantness?”   So, I had to change my thinking about giving blood.  Instead of being fearful about the process, I gave a prayer of gratitude that I am healthy enough to give blood while many in my age group are on medication that will not allow them to do so.  I also gave a prayer of thanks that, on this day, I am healthy so I can be the giver and not the receiver of blood.  I changed my thinking from a place of fear to a place of love for the person that will benefit from my donation.

Join me in giving the gift of life this month and add 10 points to your kindness score.  Don’t let your fears allow you to justify your excuses.

Staying in Touch: Barbara Hirsh can be reached at info@LiveKinder.com  I love hearing your kindness stories.  Please sign-up for almost weekly kindness message at www.LiveKinder.com or follow LiveKinder on Facebook! 

If you are in the southwest Missouri region,  you can find out more about donation blood by clicking here.