Love On Full Blast

Today I'm imagining a world in which every day were Valentines Day

 and our love was perpetually on full blast.

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Pay It Forward Plates And More

We started today with our annual Lessons and Carols service in church; I love it when John's Brass band joins the winds and the strings to accompany the choir and lead our worship. Such a beautiful way to start the week.

This week, I delivered several Pay-It-Forward plates 

to people in our community who serve. 

Or to family and friends.

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The Best Things In Life

Today I'm energized at the thought of two glorious weeks off of work, to spend with family and friends. Before I sign off and unplug my device for the holidays, 

I've got a few reflections to share.

First, our picture from church last Sunday.

My husband invited me to play along with the orchestra he's in,

so I dusted off one of Kaitlyn's clarinets and said yes.

It's true what humorist Art Buchwald is credited with saying about the best things in life. I've found that they're really not things at all, but experiences ... 

and loved ones to go along with them ... 

like this outing with the kids in Aggieland to enjoy Jacob's Jazz Band as he performs a trumpet solo in his last Christmas concert. So many lasts.

Sometimes it's hard to say goodbye ... and then someone who understands sends you a copy of Todd Parr's new book, priority mail, to help comfort you. 

Sometimes the best thing is a word picked especially for you and inscribed on a Giving Key by someone you adore. 

The idea is to wear it for a while, then give it away to someone else, 

someone who inspires me or who might need some inspiration.

I'll be honest; that's not going to be an easy thing to do.

Sometimes it's a kindness that someone special picks up for you 

because they think it has your name written all over it.

The tag attached reads: A good deed can go a long way. Our tokens acknowledge that we must freely give of ourselves by performing 'random acts of kindness' without expecting anything in return. Why not do something nice for someone today? Pass along the Pay It Forward token and hope that they too will do something good for someone else.

These may be a bit easier to share.

Sometimes the best thing is a tradition; look who just came by with a sweet treat on his annual Friendswood Fire Truck trek through our neighborhoods.

Seriously, I think I got every bit as more excited than the boys!

Sometimes it's an opportunity. I'm so grateful to Free Spirit Press for the chance to write for their readers. Click the graphic below for my most recent post.

I've been so blessed recently with speaking invitations.

We worked on boosting self-care routines in as Wellness Workshop that I was blessed to lead last week with some amazing school counselors in Brazosport; on our first day back from break, we'll be discussing growth mindset and grit with two school families in Clear Creek ISD. Then I'll give the address at the FHS National Honor Society induction ceremony January 8th before heading back to CCISD to speak with some parents at a PTA meeting on the 10th. So many fun opportunities for me to plant seeds and watch them take root and grow.

So today I'm wondering: Wouldn't it be the best thing 

if every moment of every day could be like Christmas?

Just for fun, I put this message on my new Light Box mini-marquee. I'm super excited about using this gift to motivate and make people think.

So that's a wrap, except to remind you, dear reader, that every day is a gift; don't forget to unwrap the present. Savor every second as if it were your last and appreciate the best things in life as we celebrate the reason for the season.

Merry Christmas. 

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A 'Tweet' Way To Give Thanks

Today I'm grateful because Free Spirit Press invited me to be a guest blogger in their Counselor's Corner column while Danielle is away on maternity leave. My first post for them, After The Trauma: Treating PTSD in Children, is now live.  

I'm also happy because of the fun I had with this idea:

It's gratitude with a twist because I put this basket in the staff lounge ... at my old school, to 'tweet' my former faculty, to #CelebrateMonday by being thankful.

Author Douglas Wood said it best: We don't give thanks because we are happy. We are happy because we give thanks.

I also updated my Connections Countdown calendar with a few new connection ideas as we prepare for the holiday season. 

Click {here} to download your copy.

Might be kind of cool to give your students a blank copy

and see what innovative ideas they'd like to try.

Megan over at Coffee Cups and Crayons has something similar, a Random Acts of Christmas Kindness calendar; click {here} to download hers.

Even NBC is climbing aboard the Kind-Acts Train. 

Click {here} for details about their #ShareKindness campaign.

Finally, check out this Gratitude Experiment clip.

I think you'll be glad that you did.

How did you #CelebrateMonday?

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Caped In Kindness

Today I'm excited because of the kindness of a stranger. A stranger, as in someone I've never met in real life. But the beauty of the Internet, with all of its cautions and concerns, is the global connections we're able to make in cyberspace.

And this happened, because of one of those connections.

If you follow my book's Facebook page, you may remember that Steph Kozuch, a school counselor in Indiana, sent me a picture of the little superhero silhouette on the right, back in June. I posted it because I stood in awe of its adorableness {and the fact that she was preparing in June for the upcoming school year}. We reconnected on Twitter in early October when I complimented her on a picture I'd seen of her classroom decor, which now included the super sweet little girl on the left. I told her I'd asked a volunteer to make these for me but that I was still waiting ... 

and then this:

#share ~ don't you love that?

It seriously never crossed my mind  that she would make them for me. 

And when I sent her my address, this:

Then, when they arrived, in a poster mailing tube, all rolled up so that they wouldn't crease, I felt the warmth of a stranger friend cloaked in kindness. A stranger friend with a big, beautiful smile on her tiny Twitter avatar, and an even bigger heart of gold.

Before I put them up, I traced them and sent a pair to PA. And then another pair to OK. So Steph, your super gesture is rippling out. Thank you for being a superhero of the character kind!

Finding a home for these little cherubs was a wonderful way to kick off Character Counts! Week 2015. Then our celebration continued when I met with this year's Peer Assistance and Leadership students (PALs) from Friendswood High School and collected their cape masterpieces for our 

SUPERHEROES-in-training Wall of Fame.

Teenagers and their colorful character capes.

Each one more eye-catchingly brilliant than the next.

Each one bearing their heartbeat, happiness and hope.

Each one a caped in kindness.

Each one the story of a mentor eager to positively influence our future.

I wish you could see them all in person.

The capes. {And the mentors!}

If you're ever in the area, come on by for a gallery walk.

These are hanging just outside of Leadership Central.

The PALs visited our campus today, for their tour, and their enthusiasm was palpable. They'll start next week in our character building and I can't wait to 

watch them soar.

The future looks bright with these superheroes leading the way.

 Cape up and crusade on!

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The Butterfly Effect Takes Wing

Have you heard about The Butterfly Effect? Have you read

The Boy Who Changed The World by Andy Andrews.

Click graphic to hear author Andy Andrews talk about the Butterfly Effect.

As we March into spring, I'm thinking about this idea, that every little flap of a butterfly's wings matters. Every one. Every day. 

And on this week's Steve Hartman On The Road assignment, get this, he targets the Butterfly Effect. I find his stories incredibly Hart-warming {oh yes, I did!}, and this one is no exception. We've met ALS patient Chris Rosati on his show before; this time he decided to test the validity of The Butterfly Effect by giving two young girls each $50 with a simple challenge: to do something kind with it.

One little flap of his wheelchair-bound wings, which are fading in strength but not in desire, and ripples are felt across the world.

The Butterfly Effect.
A Kindness Crusade.
Pay It Forward.

Whatever you call it, how we treat each other matters.
But just as the butterfly doesn't just let the wind carry it.
kindness doesn't happen by chance.
It has to flap its wings to move.
To get where it's going. 
On purpose. 
With intention.

So how will you get where you're going today?
How will your actions ripple out?
What will you do to create the Butterfly Effect?

Here are some easy-breezy ideas to warm up your wings:

Find service-learning ideas at Moments A Day {here}.

Mine even more service ideas at Pennies of Time {here}.

Download Random Acts of Kindness resources {here}.

Visit our Kindness Collaborative Pinterest board {here}.

Go beyond International Day Of Happiness {here}.

And please join us on Twitter tomorrow night at 4 pm PDST, 6 pm CST, 7 pm EST to chat about positively inspiring a better tomorrow with special guests from The Joy Team.

Click for details at the Character Educator blog.

Cape up ... it becomes you!

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Shine On

Two years ago today, I made this evergreen; 

the message that wafts from its branches still applies today.

Please lift up the families who were involved ...

 as we remember our friends in Newtown ... and hope for better ...

for our children ... for our world.

I believe that kindness has the power to heal and transform.

The Smile Cards on our cars Friday afternoon, for example, which  launched us into our weekend, touched the hearts of our school family in a very special way.

From our first graders ... 

in Jennifer Quigley's class ...

wishing us well ...

and sharing a smile. 

Sometimes it's the little things

that mean the most. I know it made a lot of friends smile ...

and more than that ... it made us want to pay it forward.

Then, another intentional act of kindness,

a warm email from a reader, thanking me for my work

and sending me a copy of her Christmas poem.

Ah, the gift of words can evoke such powerful imagery

and festive feelings.

And if that didn't bring enough joy ...

I was sitting all alone yesterday afternoon

at a local Barnes & Noble book signing,

without (m)any customers to speak of.

And after two hours of not very many people two people to talk to, in walks Amy, a counselor at the Junior High in town,

through the front doors with a huge smile on her face 

and her precious family in tow. 

{Her husband agreed to play paparazzi to capture the memory.}

It's not like they were in the area, either. She made the trip on purpose, intentionally, to surprise and support me. Not only does she buy a book for her baby girl's collection, but she insists on treating me to a salted caramel mocha from the adjacent Starbucks. A planned act of kindness ... it doesn't get any sweeter than that. And it makes me want to do something kind 

for someone else.

I'll be the first to admit that sometimes it's really challenging to shine on in a world where people can be self-centered and mean and violent acts take a front-row seat in the news. Trust me, I get it.

But 

when we

intentionally 

search for 

ways to be kind,

one person at a time,

one vehicle at a time,

one Smile Card at a time,

one Starbucks drink at a time,

our light will shine and eventually brighten 

even the darkest nooks and crannies in the world.

Now that's something transformative to smile about!

And it will be

a coveted gift

under your tree.

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Inspiring Kindness

When I arrived in DC on October 30th, there was a package waiting for me at the front desk of the hotel from my friend Jill. It was this magnet and a Starbucks gift card. A text followed shortly afterward, welcoming me to DC and sharing a kind compliment. For a brief moment, I thought maybe she'd come from CA to DC after all, because I could feel her sweet presence through her inspiring kindness. 

Words can't adequately describe the warm feelings that came over me on that chilly Autumn afternoon. I have always gotten those feelings from giving, but am finding out that they also come from allowing myself to receive these beautiful acts of kindness. Because kindness matters, regardless of which end of it you're on.

Happy World Kindness Week 2014.

Click the graphic for a Ripple Kindness newsletter FULL of ideas.

As I was researching and preparing for my kindness keynote,

I found that the virtue of kindness has a magical, magnetic effect that parallels the Law of Attraction. 

If you go looking for kindness, kindness is bound to find you.

So this week, I'm going to share kindnesses that have found me lately. First, our friends over at KindSpring posted this over the weekend:

It is super kind of them to share our story with their readers.

In case you've not seen our video, you can watch it {here}.

Then I found this package in the mailbox from my brother in WI:

Such a thoughtful surprise. I combined his fall foliage with the leaves I picked up in DC to make a colorful bouquet on the table outside of my office. Ah, the sights and smells of autumn. Many of my little Texans asked, "Are these real?" One of them proclaimed confidently, "I know you made those, Mrs. Gruener!"

No, I couldn't make anything quite that beautiful, little buddy.

The third and final example for today is the kindness shown by Midwest Book Reviews. As you can imagine, they are inundated with books to review and they simply do not have the resources to review them all. When my book didn't make the cut, they kindly offered to give it a shout out in their November newsletter. 

I'm so grateful for their generous gift.

I didn't know how valuable words could be to someone, until I wrote a book and they were crucial for endorsements.

An act of kindness doesn't have to be a grand gesture. Small things count, too. In fact, sometimes it's the littlest acts of inspired kindness that make the biggest difference.

A bear hug.

A kind text.  

A covered duty.

A thank-you note.

A happy phone call.

A treat sent in the mail. 

A slice of something savory. 

An affirmation or a compliment.

A smile when you need it the most.  

♡

What will you to do inspire and attract kindness today?

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This Looks Like A Job For ...

I've been thinking a lot about service lately. 

How people serve. 

Why people serve.

The benefits of serving.

This United Way screen shot tells me that

service has the power to unite people.

Check out how these elderly are uniting with students to practice language skills and more using Skype {here} ... very cool!

I know that the topic of service united a group of us on a #servechat Thursday night. Hosted by Sheila over at Pennies of Time, this hour engaged and intrigued me, partly because it was designed with teens in mind. The guest expert, Lisa Van Engen from About Proximity amazed me! Click the graphic to find 100 {yes, you read that right, one hundred} ideas for youth community service.

Those of us who work with elementary-aged students will likely need to start smaller, because they don't drive yet and because many of the service opportunities in the community come with an age-requirement for liability reasons.

What services can your little superheroes perform?  

This looks like a job for: 

Click {here} to purchase this editable superheroes set.

These are just a few of the things that our students do.

And we've found that, just like kindness begets kindness, 

service begets service.

The more kids serve, the more they want to serve.

Turns out that's true for grown-ups, too.

Yesterday when I pulled up to the drive-thru window at McDonald's and handed the cashier my $4.19, I was told that the car in front of me had already paid my bill. A kind act of service to be sure. And I almost drove away as I thanked him kindly. Then it occurred to me, if receiving this gift made me feel so good, what if I followed suit? So I paid for the person behind me and left there with my caramel frappe and sugar cookies just as happy as could be {and not just because I was on a sugar high}! 

Teach your little ones to serve, watch them soar

like the superheroes they're meant to be,

and take note about how it unites your class family. 

Serve others yourself, and feel what happens,

not only to the recipient of your kindness,

but to you.

Then treat yourself to some decadence once in a while ...

because you can't feed if you're not being fed.

What are some fun ways in which you serve?

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