Kindness launched

My niece has started blogging as of yesterday. I find that inspiring. Her first blog was about the value of improving as a person. She's right, we can all become better in some tangible way. For example, to follow up on Nikki's theme, why don't people do altruistically kind things for others without thought? Indeed, why not? I believe 2011 will be the Year of Kindnesses. Already, since January 1st, I've had several opportunities to purposefully show kindness in some way to another person. And I have a list ready. 1. A friend posted a challenge on Facebook. The gist is this: In a pay-it-forward mindset, determine that during the year you will send a handmade gift to all who respond to your status posting. I was disappointed that only one person actually took up the offer from me. I was a little giddy anticipating all the fun opportunities to do a little something for another and show them I care. Thankfully, though, Facebook, though a cosmos of its own, is hardly the extent of my world, nor does it represent my full circle of friends and influence. 2. A neighbor, Smokey, knocked on my door a few weeks ago and asked me if I was still interested in an informal community group that would meet for the purpose of praying and completing a charity project as a group. Of course! I've attended two of our weekly gatherings and have met some quite wonderful neighbors who also want to spread kindness in their world. I was not surprised when Smokey challenged us to extend our acts of kindness individually to more neighbors. 3. Sunday evening at our neighborhood group, Smokey asked us to draw a cross, and write our names where the lines meet. Then, at the end of each line from that point, we wrote two neighbors. Two across the street from my house, two to the left and right sides, and two behind my house. If my home is the center of my cross of kindness, then I have a visual cross of kindness to bear for my immediate neighbors. I'm excited about this challenge and have already been thinking of how I can show neighborly love to them. These are three tangible ways I can make sure I am in the habit of sharing kindness to others. I predict that along the way, I will enjoy showering kind acts on others who cross my life. What will I receive from all this? The joy of giving and sharing God's love. That is more than enough in exchange for sharing kindnesses.