Happy Valentine's Day

Today I have been tempted to say Vah-humbug, then I saw this post from Brene' Brown, promoting re-branding Valentine's Day:

I've been inspired by Sasha Dichter to reboot Valentine's Day to Generosity Day! 

In this post, Sasha writes,

"Valentine’s Day is going to be rebooted as Generosity Day: one day of sharing love with everyone, of being generous to everyone, to see how it feels and to practice saying “Yes.”  Let’s make the day about love, action and human connection.

Give to people on the street.  Tip outrageously.  Help a stranger.  Write a note telling someone how much you appreciate them.  Smile.  Donate (more) to a cause that means a lot to you.  Take clothes to GoodWill.  Share your toys (grownups and kids).  Be patient with yourself and with others.  Replace the toilet paper in the bathroom.  All generous acts count!

As you act generously, and as you witness acts of generosity, please keep folks updated on Twitter using the #generosityday hashtag or post it on the Generosity DayFacebook page.

Brene' also asked for examples of generosity and the people we are thankful for. Two people came to mind, my friend Kerry was going to come over this evening to watch some non-romantic movies, and probably imbibe some adult beverages. Our sort of ant-Valentines observance. As it turns out one of her little ladies at the Senior Center landed in the hospital today. For those of you who don't know Kerry, she is in her 30's, has a family of her own, and is the Senior Center Director. Little Ladie's family was going to be unable to stay with her tonight, so Kerry put her own plans aside (I know, passing on movie night with me might not be THAT big a sacrifice) in order to sit with LL.

My Mom is also one of those generous people. She volunteers her time with hospice, takes tickets at junior high ball games when no one else will help, gets friends to doctors appointments, volunteers at church and her generosity to her family in so many ways is beyond measuring.

I am going to challenge each of you to look for opportunities for generosity this week and recognize generosity in others!

Happy Valentine's Day!

That's ALL Folks

With ALL the bitterly cold weather HERE the last couple of weeks, I have been doing a lot of contemplating and reading. Now that the melt is underway, I wanted to share some thoughts with you;


The book One Thousand Gifts has really been transformational. The author Ann Voskamp signs her letters All's Grace, Ann. I have been thinking about that phrase, if ALL is GRACE and GRACE is a GIFT, then ALL is a GIFT. GRACE is ALL I need. It's ALL sufficient. It is for ALL
.

If ALL is GRACE, and ALL is a GIFT, then ALL is not mine because of my intellect. The pressure is off to be the brightest, to have the answers. 


If ALL is a gift, then it is not mine because I earned it. The pressure is off to work the hardest.


If ALL is a gift, then it is not mine because I am good. The pressure is off .


All's Grace.
He gave ALL, to ALL
How humbling, breathtaking, and purpose giving.


"To be like the Giver, to be inhabited by the Giver, is to be giving. To give as He gives: To give all. To all.
I will bless you, God promised Abraham, and you will be a blessing to all. So John wrote that we know what love is because Christ laid down His life for us. We’re to go and give likewise, he says. Our very lives, he says. And to give this kind of love because it’s the kind we were given first…and are still receiving daily in a thousand ways."


All's Grace
~Lisa~