1 Peter 4:10

"Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms."

Act 19

I’ve been a bad blogger, but the combination of Christmas travels and post-holiday exhaustion have now passed. I’m ready to get back to work.

Chloe and I spent our Christmas in Oregon with family. If you’ve ever been through the Portland area I’m sure you remember all of the beggars. There are beggars on every on and off ramp throughout Portland and its suburbs and covering every corner of the downtown area. For the last few years, I’ve had a cold heart towards these people. When I was in college my dad and I spotted the beggar from our onramp driving his car through the Taco Bell drive thru. I had seen all of the news reports about the large amounts of money these beggars make and how many of them were con-artists, but it was hard to witness.

When I was getting packed to leave, we had an extra plate full of cakes. I decided to take them with me and give them to a homeless person. Although, I think there are probably many people “acting” for pay, I feel like something still isn’t right with these people. Your life couldn’t be that good if you’re standing outside in thirty degrees Fahrenheit, begging for money or food, on Christmas Eve. When I handed the beggar my plate of goodies his fate lit up in a beautiful toothless grin. He ripped into the plastic wrap before my light even turned green, to continue traveling through the intersection. As my car passed him, he gave me a big smile, thumbs up, and mouthed thank you.

Act 18

Today Chloe and I dropped off some bags at Goodwill. There’s something refreshing about getting rid of excess stuff, and I’m a supporter of Goodwill’s employee programs. I know they aren’t a perfect organization, but I think they help many people who would otherwise be unemployed.

Act 17

I left some Christmas cakes and a card in the mailbox for our postal worker, and I wasn’t sure if that was weird or not. It seemed like a fun and surprising act of thanks, but I wasn’t sure if it was odd to offer a stranger homemade food. Around 12:00 I got a knock on the door from our postal worker thanking me for the treats. I’m glad she appreciated them!

Act 16

Toys R Us has boxes for toys at all of their stores nationwide. We dropped off a couple books here as well.

Act 15

Being a military wife isn’t always easy. It’s hard spending birthdays, anniversaries, and holidays without my husband. However, I feel like because of this my husband and I have a great deal of appreciation for our love and the time we have together. I often have a hard time watching couples and families argue over insignificant issues, especially this time of year, because I would give anything to have my husband home with our family. One thing I would like to teach Chloe is that although our family isn’t always together, we have many material and emotional things to give thanks for everyday. One of my favorite parts of the holidays is how easy it is to give. Many stores and organizations make it easy for everyone to give a little to those who need it. For those of you who are local, the Walmart in Lacey has two big boxes for toy donations. We dropped off a few children's books, because Chloe loves to read.

Act 14

Earlier today, I had pizza delivered to our home. As I was figuring out my tip, I added a dollar more than I would normally tip. This is a very small act, but I have been thinking about how many people are hurting financially this year. Many people are out of work, or taking jobs they are overqualified and underpaid for just to pay their bills. Tipping is a small act, but it’s important nonetheless.

Act 13

There are many ways to show your gratitude to the soldiers serving our country without spending a dime. Visit www.letssaythanks.com today, and join me in letting our soldiers know they’re in our thoughts and prayers.

Act 12

American Soldier Network (www.americansoldiernetwork.com) is just finishing up its stocking project. They are accepting stockings, goodies, and money in order to complete their project. I believe the goal is 400 stockings for 400 soldiers. I sent out two stockings for the project this afternoon. Hopefully, they can bring a smile to a couple soldiers’ faces.

Act 11

I brought hot coffee to the poor guys working at the DuPont gate tonight. When we were pulling in tonight, the poor guy letting us through looked like he was freezing. It was 30F a few hours ago, and I’m sure it’s even colder now. They seemed grateful for the hot drinks. I know it’s their job to be outside, but it’s really, really, cold out tonight.

Act 10

I think most people were shocked when they read about the horrific shootings at the Lakewood Forza. I felt guilty that although I felt horrible for the police officers and their families, I wasn’t surprised that it happened. My very first memory of Lakewood occurred right after I moved here. It involved a trip to Target where a guy jumped at me as I left my car and asked for money. I said sorry, and he proceeded to follow me into the store. About a year later, one of my students watched an apartment complex shooting. Shortly after that, another one of my students was mugged. Then there was the Walmart shooting/murder. There was the man from Lakewood who murdered the woman at the PX as well. I try to avoid going to Lakewood, because the city seems to be a haven for criminal activity. Today, I wanted to pay my respects for the fallen police officers. Even before we made it past the Lakewood Forza, tears welled up in my eyes. I dropped off some cranberry bread and a thank you note with the police officers working near the large and growing memorial. I hope that things can change in Lakewood. May the officers who died rest in peace. My heart hurts for the spouses and children they left behind.

Act 9

I think if we’ve learned one thing this week, it’s to be thankful for the police officers who give up their safety so we can be safe. Chloe and I brought some cranberry bread to our local police department. Thank you for your service to our community, DPD!

Act 8

I baked some cranberry bread for the ladies at Chloe’s childcare. When I was a teaching young children, I always appreciated the moms and dads who remembered me over the holidays. I think it’s important to remember those who help care for our children. We only use childcare a few hours a week, but they make my life much easier and Chloe enjoys socializing with the other babies.

Act 7

Today I went to the JC Penney’s at the Tacoma Mall to pick up our holiday photos. If you’ve ever ordered photos from JC Penney, you know that they give you your photos, and then they try to sell you three sheets of additional photos. I had a question about one of the sheets, and the girl who was helping me was both confused and overwhelmed. There were only two ladies working. One was taking photos, and the other was trying to manage three phones that were all ringing off the hook. I told her I could just take my photos since she was busy, but she asked that I please wait. Once the phones stopped ringing, she apologized and told me I could have all of the extras free of charge for my patience. I almost cried. I have been having a really hard time the last few days, and this small act made my day. I wanted to return their kindness so I called the portrait studio tonight. I left a message for the manager stating what time of day I was in their studio picking up my photos, and I told her about what an awesome job her employees were doing. I think we often forget to commend those who are doing great work.

Act 6

The Mary Bridge Children's Hospital is having a book drive today. Mary Bridge Children's Hospital is the only pediatric hospital in southwest Washington dedicated to caring for the special needs of children, from open-heart surgery to asthma treatment, cancer care to diabetes. Hopefully, the Berenstain Bears' Bedtime Battle will bring a smile to someone's face.

I didn't take this picture. I like to include my own pictures with my posts, but the weather outside is nasty today.

Act 5

I bought some nail polish and pedicure items and donated them to the YWCA Women’s Shelter in Tacoma earlier today. I have wanted to bring something to them, but I wasn’t sure what would be the most appreciated. I started thinking about myself, and I know my favorite thing to do when I’m feeling rough is to have a pedicure. A couple days before my emergency c-section with Chloe, I had my toe nails painted bright pink. We ended up spending nearly a week in the hospital, and I felt quite awful and grungy. It was so nice to feel like one part of my body looked nice and was under control. That probably sounds silly, but maybe a few pedicures will bring a smile to a couple of those ladies.

Act 4

For Act 4, I made and sent out another dozen cards. However, this time I went through Cards for Soldiers (http://cardsforsoldiers.blogspot.com/). This organization accepts blank homemade cards, and they send them to service members so they can have cards to send to their friends and loved ones.

Act 3

Chloe and I bought a dozen yellow roses to place at a dozen graves at the Washington Soldiers Home Cemetery in Orting this afternoon. That is the closest military cemetery to our home. It was a bit of a drive, but I knew we needed to do something for our fallen veterans. The cemetery is in a beautiful spot, and it is quite old. Many of the soldiers buried in this cemetery fought in the Spanish-American War and World War I. I can’t even imagine what those families had to go through. No emails. No phone calls. Maybe a letter every few months. I hate having my husband gone for 12-15 months at a time, but at least we have phone calls and emails. I can’t imagine the pain and heartache they must have endured over their time apart.

Act 2

A Million Thanks (http://www.amillionthanks.org) is a year-round campaign to show appreciation to the U.S. military, both past and present. They express gratitude for the sacrifices, dedication, and service by sending out homemade cards. When Reuben was in Iraq in 2006/07 for fifteen months, I spent hours making and sending them cards.

I admire that they don’t show preferential treatment to a particular branch, sex, warzone, or age group. They just want to send a little love and joy to the troops. For Act 2, I made a dozen holiday cards for A Million Thanks.

A human being is a part of the whole called by us universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feeling as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.

-Albert Einstein

Act 1

Freedom Bridge is an overpass in-between the gates of Camp Murray and Madigan Army Medical Center/Fort Lewis in Washington. It has been adorned with ribbons, flags, stickers, and flowers for several years by a group of regulars who are come out to wave flags and express their gratitude to the service members coming and going every Saturday.

Today was a typical fall day in the Northwest. It was incredibly cold, rainy, and windy outside. I hate taking my daughter out in this weather. We not only needed to go on post this morning, but we needed to be on post and dressed up. When we were back in the car and exiting Madigan gate, I spotted two of the Saturday regulars out waving their flags. They both looked about 60+ years old. Although they were soaked, they both were wearing enormous grins and waving their flags. Here was Act 1 right in front of me. Chloe and I headed the McDonalds, bought two hot coffees, and we delivered them to the two kind souls spreading joy on an otherwise nasty day. As I rolled down the window, with the rain and wind blowing inside, it warmed my heart to see the huge smile on this nice man’s face.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the purpose of this blog?
The purpose of this blog is to track my journey of becoming a more compassionate person. I want to set a good example for my daughter by showing her how easy it can be to spread kindness to those we know and have never met. In addition to showing compassion, I believe it’s also important to show kindness to those who provide compassion, security, and goodness to those in their communities. I hope to attract followers who can share their stories of spreading compassion. Feel free to leave comments of encouragement and stories of compassion you’ve shown or been shown in your life.

Why 222 acts of compassion?
My daughter was born on 02/22.

What can one person do?
I believe one person can do a great deal. Many of my acts involve crafts and baking, because those are two things I’m good at. However, maybe by providing one with compassion, I could inspire that person to pay it forward and help someone else with one of his or her gifts.

I wish I could do something like this, but...
Give the gift of your time and skills.
It only takes a moment of your time and a buck to buy a cup of coffee.