fields of kindness…
May 11, 2011
berries from Gallmeyer Farms
it’s the field…
it’s the wind…
it’s the beauty of growing…
it’s someone’s hands in the dirt…
it’s labor…
it’s bold red peeking out from a green leaf…
it’s the harvest…
it’s the Marlboro man, watching over his dog and field…
it’s long and late afternoons dancing with the sun…
it’s feeling as if the earth is conspiring to love me with her bounty…
it’s sweet, nature’s candy…
it’s memories of swollen bellies, and carrying babies on my back…
it’s my soul revived…
it’s spring returned and promises of summer…
I can’t tell you how all of me gets rearranged and made right when I go for the first day of picking berries. Because I know, it is just the beginning of a long, wonderful season. I sing the in field, I watch my children play, I feel close to the earth and my truest self, I can barely wait to give them away, I feel so connected to everything…it is the ultimate kindness to me and one I have no trouble receiving.
*sigh* I can’t even TRY to not be cheesy about it all…I am totally smitten. Here are the little giveaway boxes from the first pick. You can find the origami tutorial here. I use heavy cardstock like you use for scrapbooking- works fantastic!
If you are in Richmond…and you need a little something extra this week. Write me at patience@kindnessgirl.com (include an address) and I will Ding Dong Ditch you a small box of strawberries from the fields of kindness…for reals!
May your ultimate kindness, whatever it is for you, find you today!
the mama juggle….
May 10, 2011
s & l…
At precisely 3:52pm on Mother’s Day, fathers all over start to wonder how much longer the holiday will go on. It’s a long day starting with breakfast in bed at 6:32am because small children could barely contain the excitement. And mothers everywhere are keenly aware of the next morning’s post-Mother’s Day re-entry and all that is waiting after a day off.
We scrounge up breakfast, we tie shoes, we Febreeze stinky shoes, we clean up those awful missed pee streams around the toilet, we shop feverishly at Target for some thing cute, we marvel that early 90’s fashion is back, we count down from 5 (a lot!), we listen to tween woes and attitude, we read Eric Carle books 1,000 times and let small insistent people turn the pages, we make entire dinners with one hand and a baby on our hip, we finish work reports after everyone is in bed, we rewash the same sour load of laundry 3 times, we forget permission slips and drive them to school, we join running groups and feel proud, we cry, we say “see ya later alligator” to adults on accident…read the rest here.
guerrilla goodness: moms go guerrilla
May 9, 2011
She knows me oh so well…I was ding dong ditched today with these beautiful dahlias, not for me but SO for me.
My dear friend and commune member Jen left these on my doorstep, she just knew, somehow, what would bring me perfect joy on this Mother’s Day. And so we went, so spontaneously, hopped in the car with Jen and her mom to Ding Dong Ditch flowers on doorsteps in our neighborhood, we took a couple kids and even a dog. Along the way we passed Susan, in her front yard in her pajamas, so she hopped in. No holds barred like she had done this every day of her life, she knew just which houses of mothers we should DDD. Some we knew, others we didn’t. Let me tell you, four belly laughing women, one pair of pajamas, one dog with her head out the window and tongue flapping in the wind, 2 expert kindness kids and 6 dahlias, I was so blissed the frick out…
And this is what mothers do for each other, this is how we hold one another in kindness and love, this is how we nod with the knowing, how we live everyday together, side by side…and care so deeply, give from the deep well, how we keep going.
Everywhere I turned, there seemed to be some form of love staring back at me…and oh to be loved! I hope you felt it yesterday too…just in case it was one of the hard years, or your heart is still needing/wanting more, here are a few more messages from our community kindness project- The Great Wall of Motherly Kindness: (I’m sure one of these is meant for you…)
Be so kind to yourself today in this post-mother’s day re-entry…we all could use it.
Thanks SO very much to Sheri and Franklin Goose for being partners and agents of kindness in the world!!! Love you!
in his hand…
May 3, 2011
brown hands so big
old calluses from long hard days of work remain
toddler fingers
chubby, wide and small
the tips pressed white
the grip of love so strong.
i love my mom because…
May 2, 2011
So these were some of my favorites from the weekend that made our GREAT Wall of Motherly Kindness!
Feel free to leave your I love my mom because… comments below and I will add them to the kindness blackboard at Franklin Goose! Look for Franklin Goose’s #motherlykindness tweets too!
….and also, in other kindness news, thank you to the very kind people of Richmond that voted to include KindnessGirl in the Best of Richmond issue from Style Weekly. I have this dream that my dear middle sized city will someday be known for its’ kindness, and I am so excited that the joy of kindness is spreading in the world…and that I get to be part of it! (you too!) So THANK YOU to all who voted!
I love chalkboards, I love them so much! (and we know how I feel about the magic of chalking!) I love writing on black, that nothing is permanent, how bright or simple or strong a message can be. I keep a small chalk board on my front porch, and every month I leave a message for myself and for whoever else might be strolling by.
It is good to see over and over again, to pass by and soak in the things I am hoping to know, trust or live. So Mother’s Day is quickly approaching and I started to wonder about the messages you most need to know when you are a mom.
Some years you really need to know all you are and have held are seen…appreciated and loved, other years it’s light and celebratory, some times reflective and hard, it can be all kinds of things. Truly.
This got me thinking…I love eavesdropping on kid’s conversations, the way they talk to other kids, how honest they are . You laugh and know whatever it is, it’s the truth.
So I had an idea, I wondered if together as a kid to some mom some where, WE could write our messages to our moms or to any mom, when they read it, they will know which message was for them, no matter who wrote it. It would be a community art/kindness project- The GREAT Wall of Motherly Kindness.
I reached out to my friends at a local retail store here in Richmond, Franklin Goose and asked if they would like to partner with me. I was so happy Sheri was down with the idea, but not surprised, she is kind like that!
So here’s how you can be part of the the GREAT Wall of Motherly Kindness:
1. If you live in RVA, please go do something nice for yourself in Carytown, drop by Franklin Goose and write your message on the wall or chalk the sidewalk! Kids are invited too- kid art is the best kindness to mothers! The wall will be up from now until Mother’s Day! (May 8th)
2. If you aren’t local, leave a message in the comment section or on my Facebook or Twitter pages and we will add your message to the wall! Don’t worry, I will friend or follow back! 🙂
3. Start your own wall! Do you have a place in your community where you could put a blackboard? I bet the friends in your city or town would love to share the love! We can also use your twitter feed as our virtual blackboard by using the hashtag #motherlykindness. Or add your blackboard, sidewalk message pictures to the Guerrilla Goodness Flickr Pool. …OR even head over to your mama’s house, grandma’s house, or some one that has been a mother to you and leave a chalk message for her!
4. Check back for pictures- yours and ours, we’ll be posting them all week!
Check out the wall and the all the buzz to love:
Behind the scenes: the real kindness story
Sheri so graciously got one blackboard going and then I started working on finding an old school rolling blackboard. It is at this point I must share with you how crazy kindness things unfold in my life. I was late for an appointment and school pick up, babysitting fell through, one huge chaotic event after the other, life as usual. I knew we needed the GREAT wall (i.e. blackboard) but had NO idea where I was going to find one or get it to the store. In the chaos of the tardy pick up, I quickly asked my dear friend Jean (L’s preschool teacher) if she had one we could borrow.
2 minutes later, she rolls this bad boy out in the parking lot! I start to laugh, there is no way I could take it. I don’t know what I thought I was going to do when I asked. She so kindly offered to bring it to my house for me. When she got to my house, she let me know the church just happened to be getting rid of some things that very day and the blackboard was mine to keep! My kindness brain was exploding with ideas. After all that, she asked all the right questions to reveal I had no way to transport it and she and Don took it to the store for me.
I can’t tell you how touched I am EVERY time, it is like this over and over again…and every time I am just as amazed by the power of kindness. SO thank you, THANK YOU Jean and Don…for such kindness to me.
Can’t wait to read your messages….much motherly love to you all!
11 ways to love your 11 year old boy…
April 28, 2011
inspired by this.
We are hitting a new development frontier over here, and as we all feel so wobbly on multiple levels, I have been keeping a little list in the back of my mind on what I am discovering along the way (i.e. mistake making turned learning lesson). So here’s to every parent of a tween boy:
1. Laugh at the fart goodness. I know we have been discouraging all potty humor since the high holy days of preschool, but the truth is, farts are funny. There is something to be said for the amazing skill of burping the alphabet, whoopie cushions and mastering the art of the under arm fake fart sound. Don’t worry, you can still hold court at the dinner table, but get down and farty with your boy every now and then.
2. Hang out in his room. While you are still a couple years away from the lines of total sacred privacy being drawn, go hang out in his room with him with no real agenda. Lay down on his bed and bounce a ball off the wall, sort through comic books and don’t even try to pick up any laundry. Being together in his space may give you new insight into the things he cares about and the ways he might want to connect.
3. Listen, listen, oh, and listen (i.e. stop talking). Whenever I see that angsty, moody look on a growing boy’s face, I just want to pepper him with questions, playing emotional detective till I solve the adolescent case. Usually just one or two questions and a lot more listening do the trick. Your boy will find his words given the chance (without rescue) and is hopefully building the ability to communicate what he thinks and feels for the future.
4. Hey there Mr. DJ! While I would happily stay on the Regina Spektor Pandora station from now until the end of time, my boy is making Grooveshark playlists with everything from Queen to Cee Lo Green. Power music? Nobody understands? No worries, everybody needs the soundtrack of their life playing no matter what stage you are in. Remember my emo phase? Oh wait, still in that one.
5. Bring on the brag. Does he want every adult in the room to know he rocked the landing at the bmx track or just unlocked a secret character on Mario Kart? Let him share, add some details yourself, let him try on being seen and sharing his power in new ways. Chances are some dude in the crowd has been dying to talk about video games since he was 11. Atari, Nintendo 64 anyone?
6. Play just to play. Even though he has baseball twice a week or Robotics class every Monday, go out and throw a ball, program a lego creation, with no performance required. In all his efforts to achieve, make the winning basket, or score the highest grade in the class, he is probably happiest just playing HORSE or sitting on the floor with 57,000 legos.
7. Hold him tight. We instituted a new 15 minute a day hold/sort of hug each other ritual after a rough patch of trying to understand one another. I threw out the idea like spaghetti on a wall and surprisingly it totally stuck. So every morning I crawl up in the top bunk or he finds me, and we just sort of hold each other, no words required. In the midst of all this growing up stuff, I forgot how much we both needed this connection. Back rubs work too.
8. Break the rules. Now is the time for a burger or pizza run at 10pm, way past your bedtime with the windows down and music blaring. Night biking trip? Forget the showers, plan a boys adventure, watch a movie trilogy and never leave the couch. Experiences on the edge bond us to our boys and remind us as parents what it was like to be carefree.
9. Learn the lingo. Is Minecraft taking over your Mac? Have you Kinect-ed yet? Do you know every last football stat for Adrian Peterson? It’s okay, I have no idea either, but it is fun to start collecting the info that your boy is storing in his head and heart. You get mad parent points when you find the latest funny you tube video or even just really listen to all the minutia and can ask thoughtful questions. We all pretty much want that.
10. It’s all still in there. While the push pull of independence in every day life is tiring for every one but all of the boy and soon to be teen is jumbled up in there together. The need to question, cry, still be a kid, become your own self, fear, strength is all pretty rad. No boy, no person actually has to be just one, he can be all the things.
11. Be in it together. There is nothing like a new developmental stage to remind you of all your own old junk. It’s okay to be awkward, stumble through, just like your tween. Everybody is learning and growing, and he probably will respect your honesty when you tell him you are trying to figure it out too. The truth is, we all are walking through this life and it is almost always better together.
*thanks Kell for #2!
Please help this mother out, add to the list in the comments! What are the ways you are kind to your kids that really connect you?
guerrilla goodness: eggawesome!
April 25, 2011
“It’s like WE are the Easter Bunny!” Lucy (age 5)
It’s so true, it’s so lovely to get to be a magical mythical figure, even just for a tiny bit. A day before leaving for an Easter weekend camping trip (which, btw, was so comical for us city folk), we got together with our partners in kindness crime on our block to do some sweet guerrilla goodness for the kids at our local park.
We wrote our messages and stuffed them along with treats into good ole’ plastic easter eggs and hid them at our neighborhood park early one morning before Easter. Some friends wrote their own and I’m not sure actually had full complete words, but the intent of kindness was just the same so we put them in.
I have to tell you, I was in the grouchiest mood on the filling day, it is always a wonder how kindness can melt you, no matter which side you find yourself on. Just looking at these pics of dear children finding their kindness way pretty much carries me as long as my heart needs.
And then there was one, who just thought the entire thing made no sense at all and held tight to her egg, which was just fine with me…sometimes the whole orchestration is just meant for us to receive.
Thanks J and crew for all the sweet energy you always bring to every kindness project we do together!
Oh how was your Easter? Hoping kindness found you too…
a blessing for you…
April 22, 2011
a blessing Jorge wrote for Josiah for his 11th birthday altar…wishing this for you too. and me.
what’s your calling?
April 16, 2011
There is something about being called…there is a uniqueness to it, that everyone has something, someone, something greater stirring, asking you to connect to something- the world, mankind or even just yourself. A kind woman named Erin from What’s Your Calling? asked if I would join a blog tour exploring the subject.
I probably should have said no, but now is not a “no” time for me in my life…even though I am maxed out, I knew that this one was for me, selfishly for me.
I poured over all the short films, how simple the call was for some, how deep and layered it was for others, how beautiful or even sadly it revealed itself, how amazing, how kind it was for me to feel like for just a few minutes, that so many people are living life in this space every day.
because for for me…
Every time I even think about my call….
I start to cry…
Because there are no words…
To really say how deep it goes…
How scary it is sometimes…
How big it feels…
How I know I must listen to it…
Follow it…
With all of my heart…
Because it is who I really am…
And I only know that everyday when I wake up I just have to answer it…and I can’t even tell you why or how, I just do. When I don’t, I’m just not okay…and sometimes I guess that is all part of the process, the way we are shaped, the way joy can eventually unfold, the reason we move forward, the path to hope.
The call to living Kindness has me, in all the best and worst ways…it has me.
What has you? What parts of the Calling are the most fascinating, hardest, bring the most joy to you? I’d love to hear…
For more info about What’s Your Calling:
Calling Dream Kit :
You can follow the blog tour on the What’s Your Calling? Facebook Page
Subscribe for a chance to win a Calling Dream Kit including $200 in Amazon.com gift credit to buy supplies you’ll need as you pursue your calling, a DVD and poster of The Calling, and an hour of coaching to help plan your project and the chance to share your calling with the community at http://whatsyourcalling.org.
What’s Your Calling:
What’s Your Calling? explores notions of “calling” from both religious and secular perspectives, or what people feel most passionate about doing with their lives – and why.
the green eyed beauty and root beer joy…
April 13, 2011
Josiah went to the opera, before that it was the symphony, he hardly ever has that much homework and his birthday just brought him video game nirvana, a DS 3D. We wandered the park after dropping him off at the opera fieldtrip with his class…
Jack: (said with a quivering lip) Mom, when you were a girl, did you ever struggle with feeling jealous of your sisters? I don’t want to feel it, but I do.
Me: Oh Jackie-boy, I am a middle child, you have NO idea my friend!
I pulled him a little closer, he began to weep. Oh, the stories I could tell this child but mostly I am so amazed by his self awareness, it took me so much longer to even see that I was jealous in the first place. I think it was just two years ago actually, my dear boy is so far ahead of me.
Me: You know what I am wondering about right now? I think how you are feeling is really good.
Jack: Good?
Me: Yeah, maybe that little feeling of jealousy in your heart is really just a sign, a little clue that you are ready for your own adventure. Sometimes you don’t even realize that you need or want something until you see it happening to someone else. I think this is your chance to have an experience that is just yours. It feels bad now but I bet when you are doing the thing in your heart, you won’t feel so bad about Josiah. I know you love him. It’s really important that we figure this out, I know you have been talking about guitar for like forever, we should totally go this week and make some plans for your next best thing.
Jack: Thanks mom…
Me: It’s okay Jack, to feel this way…It’s kind of beautiful actually. It means something is about to happen for you, it means you care about yourself, it’s good.
….and he was still a little sad, because that moment is hard, but I think we are supposed to feel it, to know it… let it do it’s magic, even if it takes awhile…without judgement, so we can let hope creep in and grow.
So we went to dinner together and ordered fountain drinks because that is always exciting, almost as good as the opera.
“Mom, should I share this cup with the girls?” he asked. (my poor children)
“No, I think you need you your own tonight.” I said matter of factly.
“Really? Oh thank you, thank you mom!” with eyes beaming.
“It should probably be root beer too…” (the no-soda ban lifted)
…and that is all it took for the night to be big, or big enough…and yet, like Jack, I am still finding my way, everyday trying to follow my own heart, believing in the beautiful path meant just for me.
guerrilla goodness photography…
April 11, 2011
Thank you so much for sending me your most lovely nominations for my guerrilla goodness photography. Every month I get to meet all these wonderful people, spend time with their kids, roam wheat fields thanks to a dear friend, mixing art, friendship and kindness. It is so beautiful, truly. Tiffany and her cuties knew just what to do in front of a camera, I just followed along. Thanks T for allowing me to spend a gorgeous Spring evening with your crew, they made me smile the whole way home.
You can catch all the rest of the hula hoopin’, family magic here.
do whatever it takes…
April 6, 2011
…do whatever it takes to care for, support, encourgage, believe, inspire, stand with teachers who have cultivated, held the space for relationships, learning and connection that looks like this.
This everyday kindness must create the powerful earthquake of change for tomorrow…
You are amazing my friend.
the simple life…
April 4, 2011
Today I am craving the simple…I’m wishing that these moments were all I had before me. Like when the suggestion to “raise your glasses” for a birthday toast invites the laughter when someone actually raises their eye glasses.
or…
The joy of cutting “J”‘s out of pepperoni to personalize the birthday pizza…
or…
Lucy pulling me out of a work fog with this little wisdom gem,
“I don’t think it’s good inside. You should come outside, can’t you feel the happy outside?”
…and who could refuse stopping for just a minute to pick a beautiful bouquet of weeds, and then leave them on neighborhood doorsteps?
And for just these small moments, I can forget the massive load I have taken on, the one that is weighing on my mind, the stack I am trying to push through, the one I can’t get seem to get on top off…
What simple joys call have a way of calling you, even in the thick of everything else? I’d love to hear them.
you still…
April 3, 2011
at the age of 11….
you still want streamers on your birthday table
you still love the birthday altar complete with ‘hamster” art from your little sister and blessings
you still listen intently to your parents speeches and blubbering about how much you are loved
you still want to hear your birth story
your hair is still as shaggy as ever, almost becoming its own entity
you still marvel at legos and all things technology
you still let your sister give you a big fat smooch on the cheek
you still feel so deeply but hold lots in
you still help more than any kid should
you still have that sweet way of being in the world but with new expression of strength and opinions, it is lovely to watch
you still want to be close
you still, everyday, bring more joy than we could have ever imagined
I’ll never quite understand how I got so lucky to be in a family with you Josiah, I am so, so grateful I am the one who gets to be your mom.
big bro indeed…
April 2, 2011
Could this family be any cuter?! The amazing Ashley welcomed a 10lb. sweek cheeked baby boy into the world this week. The love was swirling big time around this new crew of four. I am constantly struck by how love gets you into this world and what is waiting for you when you finally make your appearance. *sigh*, I really love my work.
Thanks to A, D and kids for allowing me to capture it!
You can see the rest of the welcome here!
this kind of love…
March 31, 2011
Karen and Natasha
Sometimes the people who cross my path just kind of stop me cold in my kindness tracks. My friends at the Fan Free Clinic do this to me every time we share even a short bit of time together. I found myself at the Fun For a Cause event benefitting the Fan Free Clinic the other night. Natasha, the emcee, was sassy, beautiful and tender, it was my first drag show and I think it may have been a little bit of heaven.
I found Natasha Carrington to be witty and sharp, pushing the crowd to give at just the right moments. She was on a mission, a mission to return the love she had received herself. This determined kindness, powered by love and suffering is a force to be reckoned with. It is the kind that has known deep soul pain, the kind that has been touched by the deepest part of humanity, the kind that is relentless because it knows no bounds…this love is Natasha, this is the Fan Free Clinic.
It was an honor to witness, to behold…so thank you to 2 doctors, 1 nurse and a minister who decided that everyone deserves care and love, everyone.
For Natasha and all who know this kindness*:
Kindness
Before you know what kindness really is
you must lose things,
feel the future dissolve in a moment
like salt in a weakened broth.
What you held in your hand,
what you counted and carefully saved,
all this must go so you know
how desolate the landscape can be
between the regions of kindness.
How you ride and ride
thinking the bus will never stop,
the passengers eating maize and chicken
will stare out the window forever.
Before you learn the tender gravity of kindness,
you must travel where the Indian in a white poncho
lies dead by the side of the road.
You must see how this could be you,
how he too was someone
who journeyed through the night with plans
and the simple breath that kept him alive.
Before you know kindness as the deepest thing inside,
you must know sorrow as the other deepest thing.
You must wake up with sorrow.
You must speak to it till your voice
catches the thread of all sorrows
and you see the size of the cloth.
Then it is only kindness that makes sense anymore,
only kindness that ties your shoes
and sends you out into the day to mail letters and purchase bread,
only kindness that raises its head
from the crowd of the world to say
It is I you have been looking for,
and then goes with you everywhere
like a shadow or a friend.
—Naomi Shihab Nye
*Thank you Kati for sharing this poem with me.
to love and adore…
March 29, 2011
…because everyone
should have someone…
old and wise…
to love and adore them.
ram muffs: a how to…
March 28, 2011
Our city is just a little excited. In case you haven’t heard, VCU from little ole’ Richmond IS IN THE FINAL FOUR!!!! We can barely contain ourselves, there is nothing like getting to be part of a Cinderella story. We decided we needed to get in on all the basketball love and city pride over here at the commune.
This is what popped into my head- RAM Muffs! They are super easy to make. I bought some dollar store headphones and simply cut off the wires.
I then downloaded the Ram logo and made a mirror image in Photoshop. No worries though, Jorge made a left and right PDF just for you crazy fans! We printed the image on heavy cardstock, cut out and hot glued on the headphones. Easy Peasy!
The magic muffs had a wide range of effects on the various fans in our house. Some felt instantly bad ass like Joey Rodriguez, even while wearing them upside down. They are THAT powerful:
Others got their crazy ram on:
And yet, some could barely help themselves, they were SO happy to try them on. Can you feel my sarcasm?:
Bring on the RAMs goodness and the pride! We are ready Richmond! We’ll be watching Saturday night, the entire gang!Let us know if you decide to make some muffs too, leave us a link in the comments. We would LOVE to see them!
xo,
Richmond and VCU loving fans
earth hour 2K11…
March 27, 2011
Earth Hour last night consisted of:
47 candles
1 blissed out earth loving boy
1 discovery of hives (in the dark), poor lyra, why we didn’t see them in the light still baffles me.
4 ring pops, oh the kid joy!
1 dreamy candlelit bath for Lucy
A whole lotta Mad Libs ( the peace and love version, of course)
Marmie being pounced on with hugs from Lyra over and over again while we waited for the Benadryl to kick in.
1 mother realizing we should turn everything off more often, kindness to the earth is lovely
it’s worth it…
March 25, 2011
it’s worth it…
whatever hard part of yourself that you are choosing to look it, to really see…
whatever way or place that you are insisting on growth…
whatever you are laying down, letting go of…
whatever way you are choosing to trust with all of your heart, every last bit…
whatever hope that feels so dim that you are nurturing…
whatever space you are holding for yourself or investing in…
whatever is calling you to be courageous….
whatever voice inside that you know you should believe…
whatever truth is growing…
whatever struggle or release or goodness or kindness that is making sure that you live and be…really live, all of it…
it is worth it. you are worth it.
etched in kind…
March 22, 2011
I’ve been itching to etch lately. Years ago, one Christmas I was super pregnant with Jack, living in our first real house and at the peak of homemaker bliss. We were so tight on funds so it was a handmade holiday. I discovered etching glass and promptly personalized beer mugs for all the men in my life. They were a hit but I haven’t etched since.
The idea popped back in my mind when we started the Swearing is Caring project. I thought the swear jar needed something special so we made a “Kindness Changes Everything” jar today. All you need is a jar, some letter stickers (lots can be found in the scrapbook section), and some etching cream. I made a few more because it’s hard to stop once you get started.
A few tips:
1. Make sure the stickers are smooth and press down firmly so the cream doesn’t wander.
2. Leave the cream on longer than the bottle says, I usually wait twice as long.
3. Try to brush on the cream as evenly as possible, and use a good amount.
4. Simply wipe off the cream with a paper towel, then rinse with water and peel stickers off.
Besides the kindness changes everything jar, I made a LOVE jar with little strips of love inside. I placed the jar at a local park with a little tag that says, “Take all you need.” It was a spin off from a flyer I saw online (so wish I could remember where so I could credit this lovely idea). Some times even a little strip of paper (or 50 strips) can remind you that you are indeed loved.
The JOY jar was for me and filled with chocolate as I’m sure most of the little joys in my everyday life have included the divine confectionary. It’s nice to include yourself in the crafty goodness every now and then.
Can’t wait to see if the love is gone tomorrow…and find out where we can spread some more.
guerrilla goodness: rubber kindness
March 20, 2011
Having an 8 and 10 year old is definitely a plus in the kindness department, you never know what great idea they will spring on you at any moment. The best part is that you are reminded of all the fun things you did back in the day. Stuff like pouring glue on your hand, letting it dry and peeling it off. ‘Member THAT? Wasn’t it awesome? So Josiah brought back an oldie but a goodie today.
There is nothing better than shooting rubber bands. Josiah discovered the secret message rubber band magic. All you need are some rubber bands and sharpies/permanent markers. The fatter the rubber bands the better.
Simply stretch them out on a book or something you can easily write on. Write a message you need to tell the world, something you need to hear, read or see. I wrote a bunch of tiny wishes on mine. Here are some ideas:
Believe in Love
I believe in you
It can happen, don’t give up
You can do it
Love will find you, don’t you worry
You are amazing
You are so worthy, more than you can ever know
You are doing it
Don’t be scared, JUMP!
You are worth it
Then unstretch, depending how you wrote it, you may or may not be able to read it. My boys think it’s better the more secret message-y you can make them. Leave your rubber bands some place for someone to find. Or even better, SHOOT them some where- only if you are a decent shot though. A rubber band to the face would suuuuccckkkk! My kids are devastated I made them get rid of those rad rubber band guns. It’s okay though, because thanks to the internets, you can make anything out of legos, which are even cooler.
I asked my boys if they thought this was worthy of a kindness mission and they whole heartedly agreed, so now I have a load of rubber bands in my bag and around my arm to leave places*. I thought the mission should be called, “Stretchy Kindness” but they insisted on “Rubber Kindness” which just sounds like some sort of kind birth control but you know, I’ll take it!
I’m just excited that the kindness ideas seem to have no end and can be found anywhere, even while shooting rubber bands.
*if you are in RVA, you might wanna look around Crossroads Coffee shop!
if you give a kid some wire…
March 18, 2011
Art unfolds in our house much like a “If You Give A Mouse A Cookie…” sort of way. I put out this lovely wire thinking we could do some cool sculpture which reminded Josiah of another wire project in which we used old junk from the recycle art box.
This sparked an idea in Jack, so out the box came. The stuff in the box inspired a windmill sort of sculpture which Josiah then decided something with wind power might make a cool boat…
which reminded Lucy of the Chronicles of Narnia’s Dawn Treader. She decided to get deep into ship building… and as a total side note I’m pretty sure I was the only one wearing clothes. So weird, right?
At the end, someone thought the wire might be good to hang all this art from the ceiling.
coming soon…
March 17, 2011
…been working on some stuff. This sort of kindness development has been one of those things that I anticipated might be so very involved and then POOF, just like that, you get hit over the head with some process kindness. Someone like Alyson falls into your lap via friendship , you are amazed by the generosity and ease of watching your vision unfold with no hubub at all. It is a huge taste of your own medicine, discovering someone will help you with such a willing heart, without ever even meeting you in person.
The little gorilla I have been thinking about for five years is finally staring back at me thanks to Alyson. This must be what being in the flow is…and I am grateful, so very grateful for all that is and is to come…kindness is blowin’ up, ya’ll. Hold on.
loving love…
March 15, 2011
For reasons that baffle my dear husband, I do not do portrait work. I like to stick to people being born. I prefer to leave the other amazing stuff to the professionals. Every once in awhile, I do get a chance to photograph a friend or do a Guerrilla Goodness session. I remember how wonderful it is to get to spend time capturing people in the thick of love, family goodness and mostly, see into their soul right through their eyes.
Ashley and Dan were willing to be seen, and oh what sweetness! Wide open hearts, a willingness, a love growing bigger every day. They were playful and real…I think you can tell from the pictures. Thanks A&D for the afternoon over looking this here fine city. Much love and joy as you walk the road together, as friends and partners.
You can see the rest of their set here.
kindness in giving…
March 14, 2011
Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love.
-Lao Tzu
thank you to Bahieh for passing along the quote!
when there are no words…
March 11, 2011
photo credit: BBC
The storm rolled in late Wednesday night. I could see the wind blowing the trees through the skylight while laying in my bed.
“Storm is really kicking up, huh? There’s a tornado watch too.” Jorge said as he walked in the door.
I could feel my heart beat start to elevate, my eyes darting back and forth, window to window.
“Can we go downstairs? Let’s take the kids downstairs.” I said. His eyes made a gentle turn.
“No, it’s okay. Come, come lay with me.” he replied with a knowing.
I can’t really help it exactly. I know logically we are safe but something takes over when the weather turns to show her glory and power. I know her power. I was 15 and living in south Florida when Hurricane Andrew rolled in. We moved from room to room as the water flooded in, the roof tiles going one by one, the wind like a freight train. My sister nervously chatting, my dad cracking the occasional joke, my mom reassuring… as storm raged on. And I was quiet, very quiet. Because I was too afraid to speak, because there were no words.
In the awe of something so much bigger, your mortality exposes the feelings, and eventually much the like the power of the storm, they can not be contained. When you walk out alive and together, and hear the voices of others survived, you weep. When you see the pictures that were stacked neatly on a table blown against the wall as if they were always meant to be there, you know nothing else matters. When debris is as far as the eye can see, you kneel down and start the enormous work without a thought of despair because this will in some strange way get you through and connect you to all those around you.
I do not know what all of that experience looks like magnified, or in the face of an earthquake, but I pray grace and kindness meets every man, woman, boy and girl, every tiny baby on the road ahead for the people of Japan.
And 19 years from now, when the storm kicks up or the earth shakes, you will know, really know what it means to be alive and loved.
dear souls and friends…
March 9, 2011
swearing is caring…
March 7, 2011
SOooo, I admitted that I swear, my dear boy gathered up his courage and told me it really bothers him, we made a swear jar and then I saw this from a dear blog reader/friend Erin:
So… if you ever decide to post a link to an online (paypal) swear jar, let me know. It’ll curb my habit and support some sort of Kindness Campaign at the same time.
And that was it, my kindness brain started to explode. See, it was kind of hard to tell that whole story, but it felt really good, and THEN to have a way to connect kindness just had me so undone, it brought me more joy than I say. The idea that we can grow together, be honest and tender, share a story, someone else share an idea, get to create a kindness campaign, and have an organic little movement together as a result of all of that-TOGETHER with you, well, that is my bliss dear friends.
So with the help of Jorge, my one true thing and best friend, Josiah, a kindness partner and advisor, and Erin’s brilliant idea we have created
It is a virtual swear jar for us all to come together to turn our swearing into caring!
Stop swearing and collect the money for all the four letter slip ups!
Don’t stop swearing and still throw some money in the jar, you’ll love swearing even more!
Ask your mother to match your donation! (I’m sure she’ll love that!)
All the money collected in our jar during the month of March will go to ROSMY, a Richmond non-profit serving GLBT kids and helping youth be themselves. Josiah and I picked this lovely organization for about 57,000 reasons.
We would love to have you join us! You can follow all the fun at the Facebook event page and on Twitter at @kindnessgirl.
Tell your friends, especially the foul mouthed variety, spread the word as we would love to have you join us, let’s watch what kindness does this time!
Kindnessgirl 
