Kindness

I know I say this often--for me, one of the most important qualities I hope to instill in A is kindness. Obviously I want her to be happy, healthy, and safe, to be a hard worker, to have faith, and to be successful (in whatever way she defines success) and truly, I want her to be kind to others. I believe that she will be (and already is, in her own way).

One of the most important things that we can do to teach our children to be kind, is to model kindness toward others. In our speech and in our actions. This month, I have been given a wonderful opportunity to practice. Our friends, Sara and Jeremy (& Isaac!) have created a challenge in honor of their daughter, Samantha, who would have turned five years old this Tuesday.  

In honor of what would have been Samantha's 5th birthday, we would like to ask people to each perform 5 Acts of Random Kindness (ARK) during the coming month of August. And then we would like you to share your ARKs on this page. Some examples of ARKs are: taping quarters to a vending machine, buying coffee or a meal for a stranger, bringing treats to the fire station, paying past due library fees for someone at your local library, walking a dog at your local animal shelter, letting someone go in front of you in line at the grocery store...And the list goes on! We know we have very creative friends and family.  We look forward to seeing how Samantha's legacy continues to affect others!! 

They have generated cards that can be left for others to explain the act as well as spread awareness about SCID.  I've been thinking a lot the last few days about what acts of kindness I'd like for us to do. If you have suggestions, please leave a comment or send me an email. I'm not particularly creative so I would love to hear what our friends and family think (and I especially want a few things that A can participate in with me). If you're on Facebook, I'd encourage you to "like" the Samantha's ARK page. I've enjoyed reading the things that others have done and how this challenge is impacting people and spreading joy.