Kindnessgirl

…the real kindness work is within ourselves, in that opening of our own hearts. and once you are truly practicing this extreme love, this ahimsa, others around you will too. those are the big guns. when the drop of water that begins on the tip of a leaf reaches the ocean, it is still the drop of water, but it is also the ocean. we are all the drop of water and the ocean. -Sara Heifetz

I’ve been lost all week, reeling in my head and dropping grenades everywhere I turned. It was the kind of week of such emotional intensity, even higher than my usual state if you can imagine such a thing, my heart and head trying to push through anger and frustration…and then I read that the Westboro Baptist Church is coming to town. A group using deep hate to express themselves, going for the jugular on so many levels. They plan to protest our local Holocaust Museum, our Jewish Community Center, a local temple and high school this Tuesday, March 2nd in our Richmond, our RVA. I instantly felt a sort of shock this exists in the world, my energy shifting to wrap my mind around it.

All day I thought about kindness and wondered…Is kindness strong enough for this? Would it really change everything? What can we do to turn this on it’s side? I felt genuinely perplexed…I know it’s there, I can feel it but I just can’t quite see it. So I sat quietly in my kindness dark for a bit…

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.” Dr. King

…and after talking to some fellow mama’s, my friend Sarah heard of an idea that some brilliant folks in NYC had. For every minute these signs were held in the air they asked folks to contribute to a fund that would benefit the very people who are meant to be the targets. Thousands of dollars were raised for just a 30 minute protest. So my friends Sarah, Sara, Jess and I dreamed of what might happen if we invited our friends and our whole city to do the same. 

Every penny would be an offering of kindness reminding us that we will choose love and believe it will conquer all.

Within 2 hours, Sarah created a website,  wrote a press release and we all started to get the word out. It seems lots of people believe the same, here we are 24 hours later holding $2000 in open hands.   

And yet there is part of me that felt so conflicted as we are turning this dark thing into light, knowing I continue to struggle with my own unrest in my frustrated heart from earlier this week. All of it starts to connect after reading Sara’s words, while my actions have not taken me to a place to carry any sign with such hate, yet my own angry heart is holding a big brightly colored sign begging for love and kindness. …and so the kindness light is brighter than ever. In tiny pennies, in everyday troubles, and even in the deepest hate, LOVE is alive…

If you would like to join us in making an offering of kindness go to Pennies in Protest or join us as we talk more and share ideas on our Facebook Fan page  

If there is any part of you holding some shred of doubt,

you should know…you are the one.

you are the one who can do the thing, whatever it is…

whispering or screaming loudly in your heart,

you have everything it takes,

and all you need,

you can trust yourself.

you can believe without any shame or fear…

you can say it out loud and show all it holds because…

you are the one.

(and it’s going to be great)

from the lovely lydia

Perfect placement-On the Glee Soundtrack! I love you Allen-Shorts!

more from the Allen Shorts!

From the ever creative Lucia Hardy Clan:

From awesome Erica who spread the word from Atlanta all the way to Chicago:

Check out the rest of the pics in the Guerrilla Goodness Flickr Pool! Even if you didn’t take pictures let me know in the comments if you went and what city/town so I can add it to the list. I’ll be talking about kindness on Tuesday morning on our local news show Virginia This Morning and it would be good to share how far our project is reaching! Happy Valentine’s Day dear friends! May all your kindness be returned 10-fold!

Special thanks to storyteller Slash Coleman who has told all his friends…and then some! 😉

There was a minor crack in the snow bliss today…the snow being beautiful as ever but I was losing it. Maybe it was the stomach bug during the week or the 10th consecutive day inside or the push pull of toodlerhood and acrobatic nursing or the children literally tying each other up but whatever it was, I was way past the edge.

“I don’t want you to do it mom, papa can help us, you’ve had a hard day.” Jack said as he headed downstairs to get ready to play outside in the snow. This is how you know you have expressed all your annoyance too well…and you can’t exactly help it because it’s how feel, even if you don’t want to.

“Oh Jackie! It’s alright, I can help you.”

So we all went out at dusk, just when the snow stopped falling. While we can’t keep the lawn mowed in the spring, we are always the first on the street to have our sidewalks shoveled. The boys made snow angels, Lucy shoveled snow paths to nowhere and Lyra chased me while I tried to take pictures of the sparkle of snow.

This is everything you signed up for and didn’t all at the same time, the quiet snow falling over you like a blanket, the crazy strung out kids, the tiny birds finding shelter in our small tree, the thoughtful kind boy worried for the well being of others, the toddler who wants endlessly, falling apart with your partner and friend…a snowy night.

feeling this dear friend from far away as she feels those she holds dear and the place she began even closer… hope we all can offer what we have to help…