Keeping it Personal is simply a concept. You could say It’s similar to what people have been talking about for years when using the phrase “pay it forward” or the phrase “random acts of kindness”. These are wonderful and amazing things!
BUT, we want to encourage you to take it a step further with Keeping it Personal. In addition to doing nice things, good works, and acts of kindness for others, keep it personal by focusing on the relationship. The connection. The association. The involvement with others.
WHY take it a step further? Here are The Top 4 reasons……….
1. It’s Broad. There are MANY MANY ways we can keep it personal with others. Each person has their own unique and special way to connect, bond, and communicate. Determine what you are most comfortable with and DO IT! LIVE IT! Keeping the concept ‘top of mind’ is what’s important. How are you sowing life into others?
2. EVERYONE can do it. Keeping it personal is NOT limited and anyone who is willing can do it. We all have people who we can relate to and share our experiences with we simply need to look for the opportunities. We are not limited to how many lives we can impact. Whether you’re shy or outgoing, live in a small town or a big city, young or old – YOU can make a difference!
3. It’s rewarding. When we GIVE we RECEIVE. What goes around, comes around. We reap what we sow. When we focus LESS on ourselves and MORE on the needs of others we receive blessings. There is nothing more rewarding than encouraging another person, loving others, brightening another’s day. It is purely food for our soul.
4. It’s FREE. You do NOT need to open your pocketbook, purchase anything, or hire people…….keeping it personal doesn’t cost a dime!! Giving of your time, encouraging others, sharing, smiling, going out of your way to sincerely ask someone how you can help, giving compliments, showing appreciation for the little things others do, hugs, phone calls, letters……..all these are FREE! Take action with the lingering thoughts that God gives you. Reach out. Make the connection. Share your gifts.
There you have it! Now, GO. Take Action. Live Keeping it Personal. Be a blessing. Be blessed.
Daily KIP: “A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” Consider yourself ONE strand in a braid – can you identify two other “strands” in your life who keep you strong, hold you accountable, encourage you, speak truth to you?
I had the opportunity to spend the day watching my boys participate in their all school track and field day. Of course, if you know me, a few days prior I was worried that it would be really hot and that I would have to figure out how to stay cool with out getting “funky” tan lines, BUT to my pleasant surprise, it was cool, overcast, and dry – a PERFECT day for this special event.
Each class of students from kindergarten through 8th grade wore their class colored t-shirt. Zane’s was orange and Zachary’s just happened to be PINK. Yes, pink, not a light pink, but a BRIGHT fuschia-pink. Believe me, I had a slight battle at home this morning getting my little athlete to put this t-shirt over his head, but eventually he did. Pink is NOT a color that exists in my boys’ closets and after today I’m pretty sure we will be donating that cute little ‘t’ to one of my friends daughters OR the good will.
There must’ve been a couple hundred people at the track; students, teachers, other school staff members, parents, and grandparents. Everyone was there to cheer each other on, volunteer, encourage, and support all the participants. The kids had so much fun and worked really hard at each event – giving it their all!
When the time came at the end of the day to tally up all the scores, times, distances and determine who took 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place in each event, my mind instantly went to the “underdog.” I’ve always had a soft spot in my heart for kids who get left out, who aren’t as “popular”, or get teased. This kind of reminds me of when I was younger in gym class – when the gym teacher elected 2 captains and had the captains pick the kids THEY wanted on their team. Do you know what I’m talking about, do you remember? Frequently, I was one of the last ones picked so this is a vivid memory for me. I’m over it now, but it has definitely left a tender place in my spirit for others that get picked last or don’t “win.”
At the award ceremony everyone received a purple participation ribbon. The smiles glowed on the faces of those who were called up individually to receive either a blue 1st place, red 2nd place, or white 3rd place ribbon – they were so proud of their accomplishment. The older kids seemed to be more competitive, paying close attention to who got what and how many.
The last and final ribbon was YELLOW it was the Good Sportsmanship Ribbon and only 2 were given for each grade, one to a girl and one to a boy. I was sitting at the table with the 4th grade boys; there are only 6 boys in my sons class, so imagine the competitiveness. All were anxiously awaiting to hear which 1 of the 6 would get the ONLY yellow ribbon. The teacher called up the boy who she felt earned this award and spoke briefly as to why he was chosen. A few of the words she used to describe him were: positive attitude, encouraging, helpful, joyful.
Zachary’s classmate was proud to be awarded that special ribbon along with his purple participation ribbon. As he walked back to the table and took his seat, another classmate said something that impressed me, his name is Ryan. He looked up from his pile of Red, White, and Blue’s and said to me, “The yellow ribbon is really the most important ribbon – it really is.” I smiled and shook my head, I agreed.
As I drove away from that fun filled day, I got to thinking about life – I know, I seem to be doing a lot of DEEP REFLECTION lately. But I couldn’t help to think about what Ryan said. He’s right – it’s about attitude, being positive, encouraging others, helping, and having joy – REGARDLESS if you WIN or LOSE!! In this “rat race” of life, keeping our sights focused on earning the yellow ribbon is truly what matters…….it’s MOST important.
Daily KIP: Reflect over the past 48 hours. What portion of your words spoken were uplifting, encouraging, and positive? What portion of your words were gossip, negative, and destructive? Pay attention to your words today. Look for opportunities to encourage and lift others up. Hold your tongue when you are upset or tempted to gossip. “Handle them carefully, for words have more power than atom bombs.” ~Pearl Strachan
Daily KIP: Two are better than one. We all need someone to call in the middle of the night. Or someone who “busts” us when we’re crossing the line. Two who sharpen each other – pray for each other – encourage each other. Who are you linking arms with? Who have you invited into your life to be accountable to?
Last week, I had the opportunity to road trip it to Kansas City with my husband, he had a business meeting on Monday so I tagged along. I love traveling with him especially when we drive. We have the best conversations, I read books out loud to him, and of course I sing OUT LOUD to all my favorite downloaded songs at the top of my lungs. I think he likes it, it really do.
We arrived on Sunday, checked into the our hotel on the plaza, walked to Bo Lings, a popular local chinese restaurant, stuffed our faces, then stopped at Chaz on our way back, had coffee and a YUMMY chocolate peanut butter dessert and listened to a band play some cool tunes.
When I woke up on Monday, I had a free day to do what I wanted to do – YIPEE!! I was determined to get outside and go for a run because the day was so beautiful. As I was getting ready I realized that I had lost my ipod holder, the one that goes on my arm when I run, AND I didn’t have a jacket with pockets to hold my room key, a little cash and my cell phone just in case of an emergency. So, I laced up my shoes and set out headed towards the plaza and about 2 hours later after going to several stores, I was FINALLY ready to run. I got a dorky little fanny pack for my “stuff” and a case for my ipod. As I started to run I thought to myself, “Had I just kept it simple, I would’ve been done by now and enjoying the day.”……oh well, off I went.
Jammin’ to my music I couldn’t help but notice the homeless people I passed by………one man under the bridge, the second man sitting on the bench who returned a smile, the third man sleeping on the bench snoring, and the fourth man flying a kite. From a far, I thought he was holding a fishing pole but as I got closer I realized he was looking up. Sure enough, up in the sky I saw his red, white, and blue kite. It was a great day for flying a kite, just the right conditions.
Something inside of me prompted me to stop and talk to this man. Partially because I wanted a break from my run, I was huffing and puffing, and partially because I was taken back to a “simple place” when I saw him flying the kite. The simplicity of life when I was a child, the memories of me flying a kite. Carefree. Adventurous. Free time. This homeless man had a smile on his face and a name, it was Greg. We had a really nice talk. What a joyful man; for someone who had nothing, he sure seemed full! He inspired me.
He let me fly his kite. As I was managing the kite he shared with my that this was his second kite. His last kite ended up in the tree which he pointed out to me, it was still there. He had to save his money to get this new one. He loved the tail of his new kite. I never got a close up look at the tail, but he assured me that he tied everything he owned (like socks, pieces of cloth, etc.) on the tail because he liked to watch it wave in the wind. We must’ve chatted for about 20 minutes and before I put my ear buds back into my ears I thanked him for letting me fly his kite. He in turn thanked me for taking the time to stop and talk with him, he said, “It’s not often when people stop to talk to me.”
One week later, I’m still thinking about Greg and his kite. I’m reminded to keep it simple. Embrace the little things in life that can create memories and bring joy. I’m encouraged to just go for “the run” and not worry about the music, the fanny pack and all the stuff. I’m encouraged to start eliminating distractions and pay attention to opportunities to just take a few minutes and talk to someone like Greg. He appreciated me on Monday, and I appreciated him – I think my kids will appreciate him too when we are flying a kite for the first time this spring……..I’m going to share with them how I was inspired by Greg.
Child abuse or should I say the prevention of -is a passion of mine. Picture this. You are at the grocery store, target, mall- some public place… when a child is acting out. You can see the anxiety of that parent rising. They may lash out at their child who is misbehaving, and maybe even in a way that concerns you. If you have ever been in that situation, what was your response? Was it to stare, or maybe even give the ‘look?’ May I make a suggestion? Any of us who are parents should be able to relate to that situation. How many times have I been standing in line at Target when one of my kids throws a tantrum because I am NOT going to buy them that fancy container of liquid sugar in the check out isle? They put it there for a reason people! For parents who decide to give in to their tantruming kids just to get the onlookers off their backs! (I’m guilty!)
Think about what might have helped you in that situation. A smile? Laughter? Recognition from someone that they have ‘been there’? In some circumstances, when you may be really concerned about the escalation of that parent’s behavior, and maybe even concerned for the safety of that child, what would you do? One recommendation may be to offer a distraction to take that parent out of the heated situation. Kindly interrupt and ask for directions. Compliment them on their clothing, hairstyle, whatever…. ask if they have seen a product. You get the idea. Something completely unrelated to the event, but because you are creating that interruption, it is giving both child and parent time to cool down.
On the other hand, if you are witnessing a violent act against a child, you have the responsibility to alert authorities. Children count on ‘the village’, and if the village fails them when warning signs are there, what is left? Unfortunately we live in a world where there is stress beyond measure. Many of us are feeling the pressures of our finances. For others it might be health issues, or lack of insurance, or a loved one who is deployed. We all have our triggers. I just ask that you, as a concerned citizen, take the responsibility to be the eyes and ears for our children. It really does take a village.
www.preventchildabuse.org
What You Can Do: Reach Out PINWHEELS FOR PREVENTION ™ CAMPAIGN
Anything you do to support kids and parents can help reduce the stress that often leads to abuse and neglect.
Be a friend to a parent you know. Ask how their children are doing. Draw on your own experiences to provide reassurance and support. If a parent seems to be struggling, offer to baby-sit or run errands, or just lend a friendly ear. Show you understand.
Be a friend to a child you know. Remember their names. Smile when you talk with them. Ask them about their day at school. Send them a card in the mail. Show you care.
Talk to your neighbors about looking out for one another’s children. Encourage a supportive spirit among parents in your apartment building or on your block. Show that you are involved.
Give your used clothing, furniture and toys for use by another family. This can help relieve the stress of financial burdens that parents sometimes take out on their kids.
Volunteer your time and money for programs in your community that support children and families, like parent support groups or day care centers.
