| "It is not the magnitude of our actions, but the amount of love that is put into them, that matters." -- Mother Teresa | |
 | |
|
| |
Good News of the Day:
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the average American produces 4.6 pounds of garbage every day. By this July, the Korsts will have kept one ton of garbage out of the landfill. And they still enjoy comfortable 21st century lifestyles: buying groceries, enjoying restaurants, and working as a teacher and photojournalist. "It's a typical misconception that in order to be an environmentalist, you have to give up everything you love," Amy explains. "I want people to feel like they can do something for the environment and not lose their creature comforts, and live a completely normal life." [ more ]
Be The Change:
Test out Amy and Adam's tips for reducing waste: [ more ]
Sometimes, we don't know how blessed we are until we get a little perspective.
Here goes: If we could shrink the earth's population to a village of precisely 100 people, with all the existing human ratios remaining the same, it would look something like the following. There would be:
57 Asians
21 Europeans
14 from the Western Hemisphere, both north and south (that includes us here in the United States).
8 would be Africans
52 would be female
48 would be male
70 would be non-white
30 would be white
70 would be non-Christian
30 would be Christian
89 would be heterosexual
11 would be homosexual
6 people would possess 59% of the entire world's wealth and all 6 would be from the United States.
80 would live in substandard housing
70 would be unable to read
50 would suffer from malnutrition
(ONE)1 would be near death;
(ONE)1 would be near birth;
(ONE)1 (yes, only 1) would have a college education;
(ONE)1 (yes, only 1) would own a computer.
When one considers our world from such a compressed perspective, the need for acceptance, understanding and education becomes glaringly apparent.
And, therefore . . .
If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead and a place to sleep, you are richer than 75% of this world.
If you woke up this morning with more health than illness, you are more blessed than the million who will not survive this week.
If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish someplace, you are among the top 8% of the world's wealthy.
If you can attend a church meeting without fear of harassment, arrest, torture, or death, you are more blessed than three billion people in the world.
If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation, you are ahead of 500 million people in the world.
If you hold up your head with a smile on your face and are truly thankful, you are blessed because the majority can, but most do not.
If you can read this message, you are more blessed than over two billion people in the world who cannot read at all.
As you read this and are reminded how life is in the rest of the world, remember just how blessed you really are!
Here is a great story about how our kids can even be a part of doing random acts of kindness. Enjoy and let's get the momentum going!
***********************************************************************************
A couple of weeks back, my friend had a yard sale, and she offered to sell some of our stuff for us. I thought it would be a good opportunity to clean my 7 year old son's room and get rid of some toys that he had long outgrown. We agreed that whatever we sold in toys would be his money.
The night before the sale, we loaded up the truck with toys and a little bike that he was now too tall for. He had taken the bike for a final spin before we left home but happily put it on the truck for the sale. This little bike had had at least 2 previous owners that we knew of. It was not in the best shape and it certainly was not shiny new but it was still a bike, and the tires were still good.
We put a price of $10 on it but it didn't sell. So, after the sale was over, my friend put it on the sidewalk with a sign that said "FREE BIKE" . Within five minutes her doorbell rang. A little boy was standing there. His English was not very good but he asked if the sign was right...was the price of the bike really free? She said yes, she said that he could have it for nothing. He smiled, hopped on the bike and rode away.
Later that evening when I told my son how much money he had made at the yard sale, he was very excited. Tomorrow we were going to take the money to the bank. He asked about a few of his things, wondering if they sold. When he asked about the bike, I told him about the little boy that he had made smile because he got the bike for free. The grin on my son's face was truly priceless, much more than when I told him how much he had made. He was so thrilled to hear that someone else would get good use out of that little bike.
The bike was given to us, so in this way, I guess we got to pay it forward!
Today's Tip: Consider doing something similar and offer some FREE things to children who really can't afford much. Watch the smile pay it forward for you!
Check out a great pre-teen book today on my blog Heart to Heart. Click here to view it. While you're there also enter two giveaways that will end this week.
| "Never get tired of doing little things for others. Sometimes, those little things occupy the biggest part of their hearts." -- Author Unknown | |
| |
|
Don't forget if you're interested in participating in my Bible Study for Mondays, click here to visit my main blog Heart2Heart. | |
Here's another wonderful way to spread some love to those hardworking restaurant employees if you are daring enough to try it. I got this email this morning and had to pass it along. Author Unknown. Enjoy!
On Labor Day last year my husband went out for a meal at a restaurant. After we had finished, I asked him if he'd ever given a waiter/waitress a 100% tip. He gave me this funny look (probably because he was thinking about how much our dinner added up to be!) and said he hadn't.
I said that since it was Labor Day and our waitress was working this holiday, it would be fun to give her a 100% tip and see what her reaction would be. He told me I was crazy but agreed anyway!
Our dinner bill came to $32.18 so that's the exact tip we left, $32.18. We tried to hand her our dinner bill folder but she kept telling us to leave it on the table and she would get to it. So we left and we never got to see her reaction. I wondered off and on, and still do to this day, what her reaction was to that tip. I wondered if she would be confused? But then I realised it doesn't matter that we didn't see her reaction - just making the decision to leave a 100% tip was such an awesome feeling and I don't even miss the $32.18! It was worth every penny.
Try it sometime yourself!!
"I have a soft spot in my heart for the young and the elderly. A few days back, my husband and I went out for lunch. We sat across from what I assumed were a father and daughter, sharing a meal together. Before returning to the car, I stopped at one of the gumball and candy machines located near the exit. I placed two quarters in the machine and out came a plastic ball containing a toy. With toy in hand, I went back and placed the toy in front of the little girl and said, "Have a nice day!" She smiled big and said, "Thank you!" I hope that made her time with her father a little more special.
"I frequently get clothing store coupons in the mail, and usually, I end up tossing them out. But this week, when a friend asked me to accompany her to the mall, I had an idea: why not take the coupons with me and go to those stores and give them to someone making a purchase? I'm sure this is not a unique idea, but we had a lot of fun doing it and shared in the joy of knowing that we we made a few people smile by saving them some money :)" -- Anonymous