The tragic event of the Sandy Hook
Elementary School massacre on December 14, 2012 is still a haunting
devastation to me. Whether you knew someone personally or not, it
affected all of us. I still cry at the innocence lost that day.
After the tragedy, I was angry. I was upset. I cried at the sight
of the victims on the news. I wanted to cast blame. I wanted
answers! As a mom, I, of course, thought, “I just can't imagine
the pain those poor parents are experiencing.” But I was still
able to do something those parents couldn't: I was able to hug my
children a little tighter, look into their eyes a little longer,
laugh at their childish antics, cheer at their ball games, smile at
their triumphs....Things that were taken from those parents, one year
ago today.
So last year, rather than try to make
sense of it or search for answers that didn't exist, I put on my rose
colored sun glasses and went in search of all that was precious and
good. In a world that has a potential for so much hatred and evil, I
knew that there was also a lot of kind and wonderful out there....I
just had to look for it. So I went in search of “Random Acts of
Kindness”. If I didn't witness someone else doing it, I did
something myself. I shared these things on my Facebook pages last
year, and I received so many sweet comments. It turned out to be a
gift I gave myself last year that made a huge difference in how I
kicked off the year 2013. It made such an impact, I decided to
re-post them again this year. These posts will start tomorrow, and
go for 26 days: One “Random Act of Kindness” in honor and memory
of each life that was lost last year. I have read several posts over
the year of my Facebook friends either being the “do-er” or
“receiver” of a “Random Acts of Kindness” (or “Paying it
Forward”), so please feel free to add your experience in the
comments of these posts for everyone to enjoy!
This experience last year gave me more
peace and motivation than I could have ever imagined. As I am
usually exhausted, (and more than a little cranky) after the
holidays, I had a sense of calm and hopefulness that I couldn't
really explain. As is my usual business practice, the last week of
the year I spend time planning the upcoming year. Last year, even
though I had an extremely challenging year, I felt strangely
peaceful, but excited with anticipation as I planned for 2013. This
year, I changed my focus from what was wrong to what was right, and
how could I make “it”, (whatever “it” might be) even better.
I tried to treat people the way I thought THEY would want to be
treated. I tried to be sympathetic and to understand that other
people's behavior may be the reaction of something beyond their
control. I tried to put myself in other peoples shoes----The guy
that cut me off in traffic obviously had a much more important matter
to take care of than I did.....The crabby lady in the drive-through
that didn't say much more than an inaudible grunt as she handed me my
bag of food was probably upset because she just got a phone call
about an ill family member...The woman in the grocery store that was
yelling at her kids in the middle of the store was probably stressed
about paying for her groceries after learning her husband had just
lost his job. Rather than being a jerk, rolling my eyes, or worse, I
am humbled to realize, that could just as easily be me.
So as 2013 comes to an end, I reflect
and realize how blessed I am. I live in an amazing community that
makes me smile. Just yesterday, after I dropped my son off at
school, I had to dash into the grocery store at the last minute. Now
keep in mind, it is 7 am, and I had just thrown on a sweatshirt,
yoga pants (that have NEVER been to a yoga class), and sneakers,
thinking I could dash in and out and no one would pay much attention
to me. Yet, as I am running back to jump into my car, a gentleman
exits his car next to mine (which, at that hour, is the ONLY other
one in the parking lot), throws his hand up, flashes a great big
smile and shouts, “Merry Christmas, young lady!” How could you
not smile and have a great day after that! I smile at how blessed I
am that my son has amazing teachers youth leaders and baseball
coaches that are molding and shaping him into the man he is going to
be someday. I smile because my son has chosen the most amazing kids
as friends, that any mama would be proud of! I smile because both our
girls are hard-working college students. I smile when they come home
for the holidays and want to experience the same old family
traditions. I smile because I am blessed with an amazing,
responsible husband that is a wonderful provider and also an awesome
dad to our three kids.
I realize how blessed I am to work for
a company that is a perfect fit for me. My broker is quite simply:
amazing. My colleagues are like an extended family and all are
simply wonderful. Our administrative staff just couldn't be any
better. We are all blessed with a beautiful work environment at
Golden Key Realty. And lastly, by finally taking a leap of faith, I
have one more blessing: my newly hired assistant that has the same
passion and enthusiasm for my business as I do!
I realize how blessed I am to have the
most amazing clients. They entrust me to help them with one of the
largest, most important purchases they will make in their lifetime.
They share their families with me. They share their dreams with me.
We share lots of laughs, and yes, sometimes tears.
So take a look around you and count
your blessings. Then pass along some of the goodness in your heart
by helping someone that could use a little kindness. Do it in memory
of the precious babies and teachers that lost their lives last year.
I will guarantee you this: The more kindness you give, the more you
will receive!
