Loving Kindness, Saving Starfish

Today I'm feeling joyful and grateful

because of this beautiful blessing,

a collaboration with my Twitter friend Julie Woodard,

who offered to create this Sketchnote for me

as I work on my keynote for the Indiana School Counselors.

Their theme is Making A Difference, 

so using the Starfish Thrower we borrowed my students' reflection that echoed in the drawings and notes from my Smile File, like these:

Aren't their words of gratitude and kindness incredible?

I love that they get it, the role of the school counselor,

that I got to "make people care about people and make them have hope" . . . 

"even when you don't feel like it." Boom!

I'm planning to make Julie's creative image into mini-posters

to give away to workshop and training participants.

Her loving kindness, coupled with my students' reflections, has touched my heart so deeply that it propelled me to intentionally find ways to pay it forward. 

One of our highlights this week, 

a visit to Joshua's former piano teacher.

Every time Joshua would sit down to play,

I thought about Mrs. Vaughn.

Five years since he stopped taking lessons from her,

she is about to turn 90 years old and still giving lessons.

So Joshua and I took her some peach muffins

and went for a visit and to play a few songs.

It was incredible, to be able to thank her in this way.

She asked him who composed the {video game} music he played

and wondered if he knew what key he was playing it in.

Then she offered to help him with his sight reading.

Sweetest thing ever.

She even wrote us a follow-up thank you card.

She's an expert Starfish Thrower.

Isn't that a great adaptation of The Starfish Thrower story?

What other ways have we shown loving kindness this week?

*Invited some friends to come swimming.

*Played ball with the kids across the street.

*Drove a friend to her doctor's appointment.

*Called some friends just to check in on them.

*Passed along a book when I finished reading it.

*Took a bunch of cardboard to the recycling bins.

*Offered to be "on call" for Vacation Bible School.

*Met an out-of-town friend and treated her to lunch.

*Donated some gently-used books to the Little Library.

*Made dinner for a friend who's recovering from surgery.

*Followed up a kindness with a handwritten thank-you note.

*Secretly bought breakfast for some unsuspecting colleagues.

*Made this image for a friend who is transitioning to a new job.

No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted {Aesop}.

And throwing those Starfish back into the water?

It makes all the difference to each and every one,

each and every time.