Thankful Thursday - Pay It Forward

"If you can't feed a hundred people, then just feed one." Mother Theresa

Pay It Forward Day 2012 was actually last Thursday, but I decided that you don't have to have a special day to "Pay It Forward" and I decided to write about Special Olympics and save this topic for today's "Thankful Thursday"! Just imagine if each individual look for opportunities to help others every day what an impact it would make on the world.

The idea behind "Pay It Forward" is that any random act of kindness can cause a positive ripple effect restoring our faith in the love and compassion of the human spirit.

When my Dad passed away in September of 2011, my oldest daughter, Elle, made a list of memories of her "Papa" in the afternoon after his funeral. On that list, "I remember the day that Papa did 3 good deeds in Tuscaloosa for people he didn't even know." What a great lesson! When my Mom does something nice for someone and they want to pay her, she just says "do something for someone else" - that's all the pay that she expects. A lesson that I learned from her - I love to bake so when I make a cake, cookies, or bread, I try to give it on a pretty plate that I don't expect to be returned. Of course, many people will try to return it so I just ask them to keep it or pass it on to someone else. I always try to keep inexpensive baskets, plates and other containers on hand to "pay it forward".

Today, I am thankful for some acts of kindness shown to me and my family over the years - for meals provided to us during sickness and bereavement, for the many PTO days that were given to me after my transplant (I have NO idea who gave them - I begged Human Resources to tell me so that I could thank them but it is confidential information), for the person who picked up our tab at Logan's one night when Barry and I were having a "date" night, for my hairdresser who just randomly decided not to charge me for my haircut one day, for the "Pink Basket" given to me by my friend in Ohio when I was going through my cancer treatment (I couldn't wait to be able to do it for someone else and have done it several times - I will devote a complete blog to the "Pink Basket" sometime soon), for my neighbors who get my mail and pick up my newspapers when we are out of town, for gift cards sent to us, and I could go on and on.

I am thankful for the example that my parents set for me in helping others and it is my desire to continue doing "good deeds". "Pay It Forward" should be the spirit of every day and not just one day out of the year!

"And the King shall answer and say to them, Truly I say to you, Inasmuch as you have done it to one of the least of these my brothers, you have done it to me".....Matthew 25:40