Kindness Counts Friday - Giving and Receiving

Always on the look-out for something different to help jump start my writing, I first read a Kindness Counts Friday post on  iwillbloom.wordpress.com.

I have wanted to share in "Kindnesses", but held back because...



Although I am a giver, most of what I had to share were things I received!

But, after reading a "Message from God" that I found on Facebook, and wrote in my journal about, I decided to share today (better late than never, right?!)...

First, my "Message from God":

"God wants you to know that...

it's OK to receive.

Have you been the giver for so long

that you have forgotten how to receive?

Allow others to give you some of the love

that you give so freely.

Seek a balance between

your giving

and your receiving."

And I wrote that by receiving, I am allowing someone else to be the giver...

So, today I want to share a few things that I have received over the past couple of weeks:

• A scrapbooking friend, unable to attend the recent retreat I attended, paid the fee for me to be able to attend.
• Two friends bought me meals at two different occasions during the retreat: first, dinner on Saturday night, and then breakfast on Sunday morning.
• Another friend, unable to attend the Patriot Service Dogs retreat in May, wanted to sponsor someone by paying their initial fee, and chose me!

Patriot Service Dogs

Fall Retreat 2014

• Somebody at the last retreat gave me a plastic container that holds my Cricut cartridges.  They found out I needed one, and bought it from the yard sale we always have at the retreats.
• Other people give me things they have in their crafting supplies that they no longer need.
• Another friend gave me a package full of home-made cards to add to those I am using as a fund-raiser for the Patriot Service Dogs retreat.
• And, one more that I can't not publish because it is just so "outside of the norm" (for him, anyway)!  The other night I was washing dishes while hubby was watching TV; I could see it from where I was standing.  A commercial with Sofia Vegara came on and he remarked about how beautiful she was.  I said with all that money, she could afford to have "people" help her stay that way.  And he said, "Well, I think you are beautiful"...after a brief moment of shock, I thanked him!  Now, if this is the only compliment I get from him for a while, I think it will be plenty to last a lifetime! 

OK, this is enough!  I am so humbled and blessed to be part of this amazing group of ladies.  They are all loving, helpful, sharing, caring and just plain FUN to be with!

I have been on the giving end of kindnesses, too:

• Taking a friend to the clinic for her radiation treatments.
• Babysitting my daughter(s) so they can have alone time with their husband(s).  (This counts as a Kindness, doesn't it?  Even if I get the benefit of being with my grandchildren?!
• Sharing supplies at the recent scrapbooking retreat (we all do that; so I am on the receiving and the giving of that).

Seems kind of one-sided, doesn't it?!  I will be more pro-active in the giving and better at the receiving.  Perhaps next week it will be a little more evenly spread!