Tina's blog

I mentioned a few weeks ago about this website I found called Sprout Launch that rewards good deed-doers. You submit a few details of a kind act you committed that day and on the following Sunday 25 winners are randomly selected. I have seen many humanitarian sites that offer tips to help those in need, share inspiring stories, and spotlight charitable organizations. But this is the first website I've seen that offers rewards for good deeds. Well, I was one of the randomly selected winners that week and I received a $10 gift card to Babeskin Cosmetics. I cheerfully logged on and purchased some mineral foundation (which I love!) and it arrived with a nice hand-written note and some bronzer just to sweeten the reward (an $18 value). Wow, what did I do to deserve this? Curious, I went to the About section of the site to find out a little more about this company.

I've blogged before about how the power of a kind note from a customer can turn a difficult day into a beautiful day. This one is my all time favorite. We had just begun selling String-Rings in March of 2008 when I received this email just a few weeks later.

The message read:
At the beginning of this month (May, 2008), I had surgery on my neck, during which they discovered that I had recurrent papillary thyroid cancer. I had, and survived, papillary thyroid cancer in October of 2005. I have begun the process of treatment now that I have recovered from the extensive surgery that was needed, both to remove all traces of the cancer and to attempt to prevent it in the future.

I am thrilled to be a guest blogger this week on Kind Over Matter's Kind Kindred weekly series. The spirit of Jenn and Amanda's blog is ALWAYS refreshing and leaves me with a sweet well-being buzz. The only guideline for their guest bloggers was that the post be in keeping with their theme of Kindness. Not exactly a stretch for me seeing that my blog shares in the kindness theme. My only question was, "Where do I sign up?!"

Check out my post plus the 9 other guest posts on the Kind Kindred blog. You are in for a treat if you haven't been to Kind Over Matter.

This is an unbelievable (but true!) story about an elementary school principal, dedicated parents, and a community that revitalized a failing public school. I received an email from Jacqueline Edelberg with the link below to view the end results of this school makeover that came from hundreds of generous acts of kindness. If you are a teacher, parent, or a member of a community you love, look at this virtual tour and you will want to know more about Jacqueline and the Nettelhorst School.

I'd like to share this lovely blog called NanaHood written by Teresa Bell Kindred. She sent me the message below a couple months ago and I had to took a look at what this kind blogger has done. Her theme is family, Nanahood particularly, what she calls the second half of the motherhood journey. Teresa is an author, teacher, child advocate, and magazine contributor with her "Kindred Spirits" column in Kentucky Living magazine. She sounds like my kind of woman! (except I stopped at 1 son and 1 Labrador - she has 5 kids and 7 dogs - this makes her a hero in my book) I encourage you to drop by and read her Less of Me Month posted last January with an entire month dedicated to inspiring stories of human kindness, articles and links, and a final entry about what she had learned personally from her focus on a month of kindness.

Teresa wrote:

Since I was a child, I've always had a dog and am familiar with the heartbreak of experiencing a pet's death. I received an email from author Beverley Wood about her mission to help grieving dog owners with her website that offers a FREE star in the sky to people who have lost their dogs (to death). She has been doing this for over 10 years and has helped thousands of dog lovers by creating this forum to connect with others who too have lost their beloved pet.

I was touched by reading some of the comments on the DogStar blog. She has helped so many cope during a difficult time in a way that only a dog lover could understand. Thank you Beverley for letting me know of this wonderful site.

The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit ~ Nelson Henderson

I am very lucky to know so many kind folks who make helping others a priority in their lives. I'd like to acknowledge several friends of mine from two different organizations who held fundraisers recently to aid young people in need of a home. The seeds of success are planted in adolescence often by individuals outside of the family unit. It is an honor to know people who are working hard to make a difference in the lives of our youth and String-Ring was honored to help.

Heart & Soul was organized by my friend Karen Au with some help from her pool of friends and raised over $1000 for the Covenant House, Canada's largest youth shelter for homeless children. This was Karen's first time to organize a charity event and I doubt it will be her last. That is just the kind of giving person she is.

I first heard Stephanie's story watching Oprah about six months ago. In August of 2008, an airplane crash burned over 80% of her body and left her in a coma for weeks. She is a very talented blogger, but what I really love about her is that she has kept a great since of humor in spite of her constant pain. I found this video on one of her blogs, NieNie Dialogues. She said something in this video that I thought was powerful and appropriate for today, Mother's Day.

"To me, beauty and motherhood are one in the same." ~ Stephanie Aurora Clark Nielson

Writing down what you are grateful for is a great exercise in appreciation and has a positive effect on your thinking. This acknowledgement is beneficial to both the giver and receiver. Today I started a gratitude list about my Mom in honor of Mother's Day. I've done this before, constructing a little booklet that I gave to her as a Mother's Day gift years ago. But today, this is a gift I'm giving to myself.

I found this great website today called Sprout Launch that rewards good deed-doers. You enter your kind act and each Sunday 25 winners are randomly selected. (fingers crossed, hope I win!) The founder's blog is a must read.

This remarkable video was on the site and it is truly amazing. I have watched it over and over. Great example of how our nature in the animal kingdom to care for one another plays such an important role.