The Time Is Always Ripe

The time was ripe to get away, to unplug, to escape for a bit.

The noise from the election had gotten to be too much.

I wished that my vote could have been FOR someone 

rather than against the candidate on other side.

And I longed for a time when our leaders were peacemakers.

It really was an amazing weekend we-treat to the Texas Hill Country.

It gave me a chance to be still and commune with nature. 

To reflect, rest and restore.

To take in God's green earth and ponder a peace

that passes all human understanding.

It quieted my soul and renewed my hope in human kind.

Nothing like forest bathing coupled with a labyrinth to soothe the spirit.

So for today, some resources to help us celebrate World Kindness Day.

First, this incredible journal for our teens (and people of all ages, really).

Oh how I wish we'd have had this one when our kids were teenagers.

It is such an incredible resource, filled with prompts to help them

process their feelings and fortify their self-awareness and identities.

First, there's a real-life story, to connect to the emotion. 

Then, some food-for-thought reflection prompts.

And a page for creative expression.

Click {here} to download a few freebie pages,

then check out this book for that special tween or teen in your orbit.

Find some ideas for sharpening the Citizenship skills in your students

in my guest post at ProSign Design, All Aboard The Citizen Ship.

Click {here} to watch my Be the I in KiND clip for Pullen Elementary.

Read an interview with Houston Kraft, author of Deep Kindness {here}.

Try the Rice Experiment to show your kids the power of kindness.

One cool thing about kindness is that it knows no calendar,

especially when you make it a routine, a habit, a lifestyle.

But what fun to spotlight Kindness all around the world at the same time,

to unleash its potential to help quiet the storm and unite our hearts. 

After all, the time is always ripe to be a kind human.