i love leaving love notes on people’s windshields,

1. Over the summer I made lemonade with the “limas” (lemon-like citrus) from my tree for two elderly ladies that live(d) around the corner from me. I’d only met one of the gals once, but she was so thrilled to receive the pitchers of freshly squeezed juice that she’s been sending me little treats since then. The other gal gifted me with a pair of her Pyrex baking dishes before her family took her to Mexico last month to care for her (she is 93 years old). Their heartfelt joy and gratitude was far more than anything I could have expected. I mean, I only made them lemonade!

— Myrna Martinez

2. I love leaving love notes on people’s windshields, in library books, in magazines at the store, and other fun places! Or baking goodies for the neighbors, or even just for someone in need on the street.

— Hannah Seraphina

3. Whenever I see toppled over flowers in the cemetery, I always pick them.

— Renae Abbate

4. We have always done random acts of kindness and now with a teenager learning to drive, I want him to remember that even behind the wheel, kindness matters. You can be kind by letting someone else have the close parking spot. You can be kind by letting someone over and driving with kind and giving intentions.

— instagram.com/luckynay

5. I spent this year sending random acts of kindness to everyone on my Facebook friends list. I chose several people each month and never revealed it was me. It was so fun to see their reactions when they’d post.

— instagram.com/roni3713

6. I like to leave inspiring quotes and notes written in decorative ways (on paper with art on it, in little decorated jars) in random places for people to find. I think that sometimes an unexpected positive message can make a big difference to someone who is having a difficult time; at least, it has to me in the past. I have faith that the right people will find them, and I hope it helps someone to believe in the synchronicity of life, and to know that the universe supports them.

— Amber Fogarty

7. Bring a meal to a teacher during finals week.

— Corey Norris

8. I recently bought two bikes so my brother could give them to coworkers who had their bikes stolen. Now they can get to work faster and on time. Totally anonymous. That’s the best part.

— Tina Breit

8 bella grace | spr ing 2018

9. Today I got up from our table at a restaurant to open the door for a woman who was exiting with her hands full and also had a cane. She smiled, thanked me, and said, “Those doors are always so heavy.” When I returned home, I found my driveway plowed free of all our recent snow. One random act of kindness in full circle.

— Suzanne Sharp

10. Invite a loved one over and make them a hot cup of coffee, chat about life, and be cozy. Sometimes all we need is good company.

— instagram.com/jamieannphotography

11. A handwritten letter to your best friend.

— instagram.com/angiekaydesigns

12. Leave a “Five Things I Love about You” list lying in an unexpected place for someone to find.

— Catherine Denton

13. I leave gently used books in places like a park bench, a coffee shop, in doorways, etc. I’ve made little labels that I affix to the books: “The Book Giver ... This book is meant for you. Take, read, and leave somewhere for another.” I’d like to think that this little gesture of kindness can make others happy, and I’d secretly love to know the journey and impact of each little book I’ve placed around my town.

— Mary Casey

Nab

i Tan

g

9bellagracemagaz ine .com | bella grace

14. My darling mom collects random glass jars — pickle jars, salsa jars, those Starbucks Frappuccino jars — and washes them, cleans off the labels, and saves them in a cabinet. I once asked her why she had all these jars. She said, “I always like to be prepared to take someone a lovely little flower arrangement!” She puts the flowers in the jar and ties a bow around it. Simple and able to instantly brighten someone’s day!

— Whitney Napier

15. I bought an Earl Grey tea and two chocolates and walked two doors down and delivered them to Nora, the owner of my favorite bookstore.

— instagram.com/ingriddfd

16. With all the difficulties in life, there are always friends who are going through hard times. My favorite act of kindness is very simple but often has a huge impact. I love to write notes of encouragement and send them to my friends. There is just something special about checking your mail and seeing that someone took the time to write a note and mail it to you. It instantly brightens your day.

— instagram.com/heart.and.stripes


17. I enjoy spontaneous kindness by offering to buy someone lunch or dinner in a healthy eatery. Then at other times, I will send someone a magazine in the mail or give it to them in a pretty gift bag.

— instagram.com/belovedsistah

18. Sit with someone in the hospital or in the waiting room.

— instagram.com/rebekah2100

19. Fill a grocery bag with your favorite goodies for a friend: a candle, chocolates, fancy soap, mini-bottle of champagne, teas, granola, fancy yogurt, and, of course, a copy of Bella Grace! Yes, please! This is a kindness for any day of the week.

— Britta Taylor

20. Keep a handful of handwritten inspirational notes in your car, and when you get coffee tell the cashier to give the note to the person behind you, or if you see someone walking down the street hand them a note, or leave it on someone is desk at work. Letters and handwritten notes can really make someone’s day.

— instagram.com/weddingdayeveryday

21. I work at a local coffee shop. When I overhear that it is someone’s birthday or they have an interview, I decorate their coffee cozy to acknowledge their special day. The smiles I receive in return have me decorating cozies simply to add a little sparkle to what is otherwise routine on the seemingly ordinary days.

— Nicky Grivois

22. Bring someone a flower, something from the earth, preferably that you grew. A smile or little love letter of appreciation — no matter how small.

— Maddy Streiff

23. Every Christmas, I give a $100 tip to someone who I have regularly transacted with during the year. It could be my local barista, my stylist at the salon, or the guy who delivers our hay. We make connections with people every day, and sometimes those build into mini-relationships because we see them so often and share conversations and life stories. It’s my way of saying thank you for committing to this service profession and bringing positivity and nourishment to my life and my family.

— instagram.com/korkalot

24. Women telling other women that they are beautiful is wonderfully kind, especially if they don’t know each other!

— Paula Megna

25. Pause and notice the selfie takers. Folks smile when you offer to take their photo, and they are full of giggles and joy when you say, “OK, now time for a silly one!” Capturing those moments when they are decidedly silly are priceless. This kindness is a keeper!

— Laura Schwoerer

26. When you see the homeless veteran standing with a sign, pull over and share your pizza. Have the cash and can make the time? Go pay for his hotel room for the night ... often a local place will give a discount. Know the resources? Connect them with or give a written list of referrals to local agencies, shelters, and resources that can help more sufficiently and consistently. Show up again if need be. Meet for a cup of coffee the next day. He/she may or may not show it, but your reward is great when you take the time to serve, and you just may rock his/her world. In fact, he/she may rock yours, in simple and profound ways.

— Heather Nelson

27. I was driving home from the mall a couple days ago and saw a petite older woman struggling to shovel the deep snow from her sidewalk. After a huge snowfall, city snowplows had come past her street and unintentionally pushed a bunch of heavy packed-down snow from the streets and onto her sidewalk and driveway. I turned my car around, parked, and asked her if I could shovel for her. She was so surprised. Her husband came to the door and apologized that he couldn’t help because he’d had a quadruple bypass. So, I went to work — with bare feet in my converse (not a good winter choice) and borrowed mittens. Eventually her grown son showed up and joined me. It took us almost an hour shoveling together, but we finally cleared her sidewalk and driveway. I made new friends that day. She made me promise to stop by one day for a visit. And when I drove off, she was standing out in the falling snow, blowing me kisses. BEST CHRISTMAS GIFT EVER!

— instagram.com/whisperingsoulstreams

28. Back before Speedpass, I often would pay the toll for the person behind me in line on the Garden State Parkway in New Jersey. There is nothing like doing a good deed for someone you do not and will never know and in knowing that their day was made a tiny bit brighter as a result.

— Victoria LincolnJazm

in Q

uayn

or


29. If I know a friend is having a hard season, I usually knit or crochet something warm and fuzzy and send it to them, so they feel loved and cared for even if I can’t actually be there in person to give them a hug.

— Heidi Wilson

30. One day at the grocery store, the young woman in front of me could not pay for her groceries. I could tell she was embarrassed and upset. She clearly needed the few things she had, so I paid for them. This is not something I can always do, but that day it made a big difference for her. I have been there, and I know how she was feeling.

— Lori Price

31. I was in a crowded restaurant with three friends and we had been placed at a table for eight. A young father came in with three children and we offered to share our table. He was so patient with them (although it must have been nerve-wracking for him with four strangers seeing and hearing every action). When we left, I paid for their meal and asked the waitress to just tell him that it from someone who thought he was a wonderful father.

— Donna Mohney

32. We bought lunch for an unsuspecting older couple. Seeing them enjoy each other’s company, the beautiful view of the beach, and the burgers and fries we too were about to indulge in, made me picture my husband and me in 30 years. It warmed my heart, and I asked my husband if he would mind if we picked up their tab. Of course, he said to do it. We asked the waitress to not say anything. It was a sweet moment and hope that made their day as much as it did ours.

— Nicole Sabol Kovalcik

33. Call inner city schools in lower income neighborhoods and pay off any lunch balances.

— Monika Demel Sommerfeldt

Lyub

a Bu

rako

va


34. I made a stack of calligraphy cards and keep them in my purse to hand out to random strangers. The card says, “Everything will be OK. Yes, this is for you.” I saw the one I gave to the pharmacist taped up by her cash register months later.

— Julia Monroe

35. I lost my baby in my fifth month of pregnancy. I carried his ashes in a small antique matchbox that I wore on a chain around my neck for a long time, until one day, my heart just felt so heavy with grief that I finally decided to release his ashes at the beach. Years later while working as a Hospice LVN, I cared for a gentleman during his final days. I spent seven days with him and his wife. His wife and I spent many hours taking about their marriage and how she would find the strength to go on without him. When he passed away, I gave his wife my antique matchbox necklace so that she could carry her husband’s ashes with her. I will never forget the look on her face when I gave it to her and told her the significance behind it. A priceless moment for us both.

— Kim Sawyer Jeffrey

36. Last year we had been going through a lot … even more than usual. I noticed some kind of “I’m sad but I’ll make it” look in a local store worker’s face. She had just gotten the strength to end things with her not-great spouse and was treated badly by some for it. It was just she and her daughter and it was around Valentine’s Day. I made a small $10 girls’ night present for them and gave it to her along with a very small bundle of flowers for her and for her daughter with a note that read, “Wonderful people don’t need special holidays or dates. You are amazing every day in every way!” It was so wonderful to be able to do something for them. She and her daughter are amazing. Her daughter, who is about my age and with special needs, always runs up to me when she sees me to tell me I’m beautiful and give me a hug.

— Maggie Phillips

37. I was walking through the grocery store when I heard a little voice singing — very loudly — and she would not be shushed or stopped. Being the mother of a precocious little girl myself, I knew how the parents must have been feeling, for she was singing “Let It Go” loudly enough for the entire store to hear her. I stopped as I passed them and told the little girl, “Darling, you have a beautiful voice. Thank you for singing for me today. I love it.” The little girl’s face brightened so much, and I gave her parents (and two other siblings) a smile. “You’re doing great,” I told Mom and Dad and went on my way. I just hope it made their smiles a little brighter and her singing seemed a little prouder as she started up again.

— Melissa Snyder

Javi

er D

iez


38. Stop by nursing homes to visit with people who don’t typically get visitors. I started this in college and now my daughters and I do it. The elderly have time and stories and just want human connection. I probably get more out of it than they do. Time is precious.

— Gindy Schuetz

39. Last Easter, I painted a few rocks, maybe a dozen or so, and took them around our neighborhood on Saturday evening and left them on porches. I didn’t tell anyone I did it. My neighbor next to me figured out it was me and mentioned it to a couple others. One of those neighbors recently told me how much it meant to her, as she had just lost her husband and the painted rock touched her so much!

— Kim Kotwica Irey

40. For 35 years I have been “Twisting Balloons into Smiles.” Sometimes I will twist up a couple of big bags full of cheerful characters and randomly hand them out throughout a day to unsuspecting people that I come in contact with. I especially like to surprise the workers by handing them out at fast-food drive-through windows!

— Nancy “fangles” Brown

41. I love sharing my gift of poetry and art with family, friends, and strangers I meet in coffee shops, cafes, and airports. I’m delivering a dozen poetry bookmarks to the employees at one of my favorite shops today!

— Judy Brown

42. Last year my mother-in-law purchased boot socks for my athletic-clothes-wearing daughter. She wasn’t a fan of the frilly lace tops and never opened them. I took them to work and gave them to one of the college students who enjoys dressing up. She was so excited she gave me a hug. It really is the simple gestures that make people feel valued.

— Heather Leanne

43. When it snows at my condo here in central Connecticut, after I am done cleaning the snow off of my car, I like to clean the snow off of my neighbor’s car too, and I shovel her porch landing and steps. I know that she has some trouble getting around, so it makes me feel good to help her.

— Mary Macilvain

44. My neighbor’s husband has a job hundreds of miles away and she often just has a bowl of cereal for dinner instead of cooking. So once a week or so, I make extra food and take it next door as a surprise.

— Meri Arnett-Kremian

Per S

wan

tesso

n


45. When I worked at a small mom-and-pop grocery store I was stationed in the deli, and one cold night I noticed there were about five sandwiches left over after my shift and were going to be thrown away. So, I drove around my town of Vallejo, California, finding homeless people to give a sandwich. It made my whole week better. Kindness is such a beautiful thing.

— Dan’yell Powell

46. Scrape people’s cars for them while out at a store or at your workplace so that when they come out they can just get in their car and go!

— Mandey Kinzenbaw

47. I bring fresh flowers the ladies that I work with from time to time. I do this by season: A poinsettia for Christmas, a gerbera daisy in their favorite color in the spring. It never fails to put a smile on their faces, and lets them know how much I appreciate them.

— Stephanie Leigh

48. Make dozens of paper snowflakes, and hang them from the ceiling for a bed-ridden friend.

— Heidi Redfield

49. Sending thank-you notes for the kindnesses shown that we take for granted. When my dad died earlier this year, I wrote to thank the funeral director who did all he could to make it easier. I wrote to church members and friends who prepared the room for the luncheon and to the service member who played Taps at the graveside. Some friends and acquaintances seemed surprised, expressing the idea that it was their job, and that no thanks was needed. But I know the power of being thanked. A letter from a parent thanking me for how I taught their child meant far more than any other gift. A simple handwritten note is powerful.

— Paula Teach

50. We always overtip wait staff in the breakfast shift. Breakfast is generally so inexpensive, but serving requires the same, if not more (think of all the coffee refills) attention. So, no matter the bill, we generally tip closer to 40% than 20%. The cheaper the breakfast, the bigger the tip. Breakfast staff works hard and deserve a little extra.

— Virginia Lincoln

B. H

arve

y


PROMPT

So many of us say we’d love to commit some act of kindness to bring a little light to the world, but never actually do anything. Make a list of the random acts of kindness you’ve always wanted to complete, and then check them off as you actually do them.


i love leaving love notes on people’s windshields,

Documents