Act of kindness

As we all know, the earthquake in Haiti has devastated the island and has left tens of thousands of people dead, homeless, and in an even more grave state than before. Naturally, this saddened people globally and now people are rallying to come to the aid of Haitians.

Why is it that it always takes something like that for people to share their humanity for those less fortunate than themselves? Hell, why can't people just be kind a caring period?

Coming from a Jamaican family, I know first hand the importance of taking care of your own and those around you. Jamaicans are a proud people, but never too proud to give and help others. Jamaican families that leave JA always send barrels of food and clothing back to their family and community to ensure people are taken care of. If they can't send the item that way, they'll find someone who's going home and ask them to carry things for them. It's a cultural practice that is almost innate. I know many other islands have the same practice, so why can't people here do it for their neighbours and/or communities?

I live less than 1o minutes from a town the produces the high concentration of blueberries in the nation. Each year, these farms use migrant workers from South America and Haiti to cultivate said farms. Last summer I was plagued with the thought of what to do with several bags of clothes and shoes that I no longer had need for, but didn't really want to give them to the local agencies as I know for fact that some of them aren't dispensing the items to the intended recipients. After driving through what's locally called Haitian Nation; the area where the Haitians workers are housed, I decided I would give them the clothing/shoes. I practiced my French and delivered the clothing/shoes to the very grateful people who thanked me profusely for my kindness.

Doing this brought so much joy to my soul and I felt good for my choice of recipients. This is something I've decided I will continue to do every summer. Sadly, I'll be doing it under far more grave conditions this year. The clothing/shoes that I would have given locally will now be sent to Florida to a dear friend who is Haitian and still currently waiting to hear from his father and other family/friends. The toiletries that I planned to send to my friend serving in Afganistan will also go to my friend in Florida as I'm sure they'll be in greater need there.

I'm sick and tired of people just jumping on the bandwagon to help others in their times of crisis and need. Family, let's perform acts of kindness daily. I'm sure each of us has something we can give to others in our neighbourhoods, communities, and such daily, so let's be thankful and grateful for the abundance we have and find it in our hearts to pay it forward in some way. This is what love for humanity is all about and we must work together globally to ensure others can be equally blessed.

My heart is full today y'all. I feel personally affected by this as I lost family in Jamaica last year with the massive storms. I can't watch telly or be on the web as flashbacks of worrying for my family come back to mind or even the devastation of Katrina brings me to tears. So again I say and implore each of you who read this blog to do something; anything for someone else. A small deed can go a long way.


It's all possible!

Love, Hope, Charity!

Each year I participate in my company’s annual Thanksgiving food drive. I help collect food, purchase food to donate, and box/deliver the food to needy families in the area. It breaks my heart each year that we even need to do this. Why? Because in a country as rich as this, we have so much hardship and famine. We have so much money being wasted on bullshit items that the government spends millions of dollars on, but it won’t help a family feed itself. Billions of dollars is being wasted on this so-called war and we can’t take care of the veteran’s when they come back. It’s a shame that so many have to rely on the kindness of strangers to help feed and house them.

I participate in these drives because it feels good and because it means something to me to give to those less fortunate than me. I recall when I was an unemployed single parent and how I struggled to make ends meet. I was fortunate that I was educated and resourceful enough to do it; however, there are those who aren’t and need assistance. For the many trials I’ve triumphed through and those who helped me along the way, gives me additional reasons to want to help others. I could have very easily have been the woman unable to have a celebratory dinner, wear a gently worn coat, or have toys for her child at Christmas.

I’m more than thankful for being able to overcome the odds, to have had kind people in my life, and to be in a position where I can help someone else. I do not reserve my giving to just Thanksgiving or Christmas. I give as often as I can to whomever I can. When I stay at hotels, I save the soaps and such and donate them to the military so the troops can have additional supplies. Or I donate to women’s shelters for the woman who had to pack up and leave an abusive home. I give clothes and shoes to the Covenant House so those there can have. I’m willing to give up going out to lunch or dinner and give that money to a good cause.

Each day is cause for thanksgiving because we have so much to be thankful for. I think we all need to look deep within ourselves and consider what we are truly thankful for and make it last for more than a couple of months. Check out places in your respective areas and see if you can offer your hand to cook or serve the homeless; adopt a family and provide small services for them; donate whatever time or money you can spare for a child in need. Charity begins at home. What kind of house are you living in?

Kindness

In the wake of the recent occurrences at Virginia Tech and the Johnson Space Center in Houston, TX; I'm still trying to comes to terms with the excessive violent acts that are defiling our society. Sometimes the signs are there; and ignored, while other times the signs are more subtle and it's the one simple thing that sets the person off.

In recalling some of my own angry outbursts, I know that sometimes the signs were there and others ignored them or I made light of things. On other occasions, I internalized and then someone said the wrong thing at the wrong time and I lost it. Fortunately, my outburst were just harsh words, but if I were a different person mentally, the results could have been physically explosive.

Nowadays, people have become more and more detached favoring emails and text messages over actual verbal conversations. With the increase in video games, people interact less in real-time; favoring online interaction. Gone are days were people get to know their neighbors moreso than saying "hi". We've simply lost the need or desire to bond, extend kindness; a kind word or deed. Our social interactions lend more to including alcohol as a means of letting lose or relieving stress. People simply don't openly communicate anymore and it's sad.

I've made a personal committment to extend acts of kindnesss wherever I am. Last week I helped a woman in WalMart retrieve an item out of her reach. It was funny to see the look of shock and then see her smile. I gave money to someone who needed exact change in order to get through the checkout faster. I helped a handicapped women move her items from her power wheelchair to a cart and pushed it out to the sidewalk for her to get them to her car. Each act was performed without really thinking about it and it made me feel good to help others. I gave compliments to those who performed good customer service instead of only thinking of the times where I had bad service. All of these things can have a positive effect on the receiver and give them a chance to see that there is still good in the world. Those simple acts would have prevented someone from beating their spouse or child, committing suicide, or some other negative act.

Random acts of kindess should NOT be random; it should simply be the right/nice thing to do.

I came across the following as I read my Daily Word this morning and think it sums everything up nicely...

Do a deed of simple kindness;
Though its end you may not see,
It will reach like widening ripples
Down a long eternity. —Anon.

Kindness is the oil that takes the friction out of life.

Change is good...I think

I had high aspirations of posting at least two additional posts by now, but things got the best of me and I wasn't able to post sooner. My Monday post would have been about random acts of kindness and tolerance in keeping with the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Instead of posting, I kicked my sister and brother in law out of their house so they could have some time alone and take care of some errands while I watched my twin niece and nephew. My act of kindness was far better than a post. Agree?

Anyhoo, I accepted a new position within my company, which is very demanding and will alter how I spend my day; hence the title of this post. I did more work today than I have in months and it will continue for some time. Where I used to be able to blog during the day, I probably won't, so please don't think I've forgotten about my lovely readers. Please hang in there and check my blog either very early in the day or later in the evening.

Sorry for this partly lame post, but it's getting late and I really don't have much on my mind. I'm trying to catch up on my DVR'd t.v shows and catch up on other things I would have normally done at work like read blogs...lol! I guess I was pretty spoiled with my previous position. Now, I'm a cashing a big, fat reality check that I actually have to do some work to make that minimum wage. *snicker*

Okay folks, that's all for now, but rest assured the Jewel will keep on shining and continue to bless you with the wrath of my mental accuities.