All in the family Day 14

Well, today was a day that we all performed acts of kindness. The kids and I decided that we wouldn't plan any acts of kindness that we would go with the flow, sort of speak. We would be kind wherever it presented itself...smiling at someone who needed it, holding the door, buying coffee for a stranger, etc. With this in mind....let the day begin.

Elliott called me at work and was so excited. The first thing out of his mouth was, I did and act of kindness...you will be proud of me. He had gone to the house to sign up a child for Trooper Island camp. The younger brother desperately wanted to go but was to young. He was making every attempt to get and keep Elliott's attention. Elliott said when he got ready to leave the youngster asked if he could have a ride in Elliott's state trooper car to his friends house. Elliott explained that is against policy and he couldn't provide him with a ride. He saw how disappointed the child was so he told him to come here. The little boy and Elliott headed to the trunk of his car. Elliott said he gave him Jr. Trooper badges, teddy bears, pencils and all sorts of goody items. He said the little boy was so excited, with his items, that he tripped running to the house. He wanted to show his Dad what the State Trooper, his new friend, gave him. I could hear Elliott smiling on the other end of the phone. He kept saying I gave him things in my trunk and he was so excited. I made his day. Even after Elliott came home, when his work day had ended, he was thinking of other things he could get together for this child.

Tonight, the kids and I went to the circus that came to town. We paid for the $1.00 extra "upgrade" to sit in better seats for 3 people. Ellie asked for $3.00 and I asked her what she need the money for and she said it was to buy a child a snow cone. Ellie watched as he was attempting to eat his and it dropped to the ground. She bought him a replacement snow cone. Cody, sat beside of a 3 year old little girl throughout the majority of the circus. To be a teenager and to willingly sit and watch this child was something to watch. When the circus was over he carried her to the car.

I stand amazed, at the kindness, gentleness and goodness my children exhibit. Wow, today was awesome!! I loved watching how easy the kindness came to Cody & Ellie today. I didn't have to tell them to be kind....they did it without thinking about it at all. They are wonderful Godly children.

I was so excited for Elliott and his kindness journey. I didn't see the little boy, but I find it hard to believe he was more excited than Elliott was when he was telling the story. This child left an impression on Elliott and I'm certain that Trooper Gollihue left an impression on him, that will last a lifetime.

So, it was the entire Gollihue family, all in the family, working on kindness. Praise God for my family. Thank you for the situations that presented themselves to us today. None of our acts of kindness were planned...they were random. Thank you God for that opportunity.

Thank you God for my family!!!

Where will we be tomorrow? Stay tuned. until then.....

on your mark, get set, be kind.

love ya to the moon & back,
Annie, Elliott, Cody & Miss Ellie

Pollard Baptist church clothing giveaway, day 13

Today was all about helping the amazing people at Pollard Baptist Church. Last night, I was contacted by one of my friends Angela Newcome, who knew about our kindness journey. She said her grandparents were involved with a a clothing giveaway at their church and they needed volunteers. Pollard hosts a free clothing giveaway the last Tuesday of every month for the community.....more specifically, the Pollard Community in Ashland.

When the kids and I got to the church, I was immediately overwhelmed. I was overwhelmed with the amount of clothing that they had to giveaway. I was also overwhelmed by the feeling that God was there...He was at this clothing giveaway. How awesome is that?

Upon talking with one of the women heading up this ministry she stated that the clothing comes from the church members, other churches and individuals. She mentioned that today they had close to 50 individuals shop up from 4 last month...Praise God!

The role the kids and I had today was clean up detail. The clothing giveaway was over at 2:00 so we got there at 1:30. We came ready to work. Okay, 2:00 came and we were assigned "unofficial" tasks...women's blouses in one stack and place on a table for next month, women's pants handle the same way, men's hats in a box and so on. After the clothing was moved from one room to another in preparation for next month. The tables were moved back into place with 6 chairs around them.

Today was about the people in God's kingdom working to make a difference. The one's who saw the need for a clothing giveaway. This is a ministry of this church. Praise God! I was blessed being a very small part of today's clothing giveaway. You could feel the presence of God in the midst of this event. You could feel His love and mercy being poured down on the workers and the shoppers.

I stand amazed out God's goodness. I can't imagine how hard those individuals worked by themselves to set this event up for others. It truly was an honor to be there with them, even for a brief moment in time.

Today's volunteers I met are heroes, they are putting others needs before themselves. They are truly the example of God's goodness and kindness. I am so glad that the kids and I were able to spend one of our days on the kindness journey at Pollard Baptist at the clothing giveaway.

Thank you God for the people at Pollard that heard your calling, saw the need and got busy. Thank you! God, please bless each one of them in a very special way. Thank you God for my family, this kindness journey and for your love and kindness that you show us.

Our God is an awesome God he reigns from Heaven above!!!!

Where will we be tomorrow? Stay tuned. Until then.....

On your mark, get set, be kind.

Love you to the moon & back,
Annie, Cody & Miss Ellie

would you like some H2O?

Day 12? What did we do? Well for starters, we located our coolers & bottled water and bought ice. We had a plan! What was our plan, you ask? Our plan, our call of action, for today's act of kindness, was to stand outside of the Community Kitchen and pass out bottled water.

We had 36 waters to pass out, coolers, ice, but we needed a cart, to help us with the heavy coolers. So, we stopped by For Jamie's Sake to borrow the cart. While there we recruited all the volunteers to help us with this act of kindness on "make a difference" Monday. Wow, Cody, Miss Ellie, me, Cameron(Cody & Ellie's friend), and 6 volunteers from For Jamie's Sake hit the ground to "make a difference."

Off we go, with the cart loaded down with coolers, ice and water, strolling down Winchester Ave. On a mission to cheer up and cool people down with water. We were smiling and saying, "hi" to everyone we past on the sidewalk. We had 36 waters and I was certain that they would be gone in no time flat at the Community Kitchen. We apparently got there too late. We only passed out 18. I said we weren't moving until all of the water was handed out. We waited and waited. It became real clear that the rest of the water wasn't meant to be given out at this location. I was feeling so defeated. I thought that was the plan....all 36 waters to go to the individuals at the Community kitchen as they left. That was my plan.

However, I must add, while passing out the water, outside of the Community Kitchen, we met the volunteer coordinator for the Community Kitchen. He set us up for training this Friday and we will be volunteering next Monday, July 5th to serve meals. So, you have an inside scoop on what we will be doing on day 19, next Monday.

Okay, we decided that we would simply leave the Community Kitchen with the bottled waters and save them for another day. On our way up Winchester Ave. one of my volunteers mentioned taking the water to the Ashland Senior Center. So, we headed there with our 18 bottled waters to see if we could share our water with them.

We were greeted by the nicest lady and she welcomed our water donation. The kids placed the water from the cooler onto the kitchen counter. The plan was to give away 36 bottled waters today, it just wasn't how I originally thought. God fully intended for us to give 18 out at the Community Kitchen and 18 at the Ashland Senior Center. God is sooooo good!

When I learn to let go and let God His plan is always better than mine. So, it wasn't just the Community Kitchen that we were meant to help today but the Senior Center all along. I just wasn't still and didn't hear the whole message from my almighty God.

God is soooo good! I know today was only day 12 but I can't even begin to tell you the memories that I am making with my children that will last a lifetime.

Thank you God for this kindness journey. Today I learned a valuable lesson, it isn't just about being kind that God wants, He wants all of us. Yes, He wants us to be kind, but He wants us to listen when He talks. Sometimes I'm so busy doing, I don't take the time to sit still and listen. This was one valuable lesson I gained from today's kindness journey.

Praise God whom all blessings flow!!!!

Where will we be tomorrow?? Stay tuned. Until then.....

on your mark, get set, be kind.

Love you to the moon & back,
Annie, Cody & Miss Ellie

KDMC Hospitality House on Day 11

You know, it was upon spending a relaxing day with girlfriends that I thought about this act of kindness. It was hearing one friend tell of her experience with a Ronald McDonald house. She spoke about how they were so wonderful to she and her family during a difficult time in their life. It was then, that I knew I wanted to do something for a Ronald McDonald house. The only problem with that, is we don't have one in Ashland. However, we do have a Hospitality House.

Today was jammed packed with activities, but it was clear that this evening we would be taking a large snack basket to the Hospitality House. Originally we were planning on taking toothbrushes, magazines, etc. but when we received the thank you note from the Community Hospice and we learned how the snacks were gone in less than a day....that is what we all decided we needed to take. I purchased a nice basket ($5.00 Family Dollar) and snack cakes also at Family Dollar for the snack basket.

On today's trip we had all 4 Gollihues and one of Cody & Ellie's friend from church. What a blessing this was to me to have 5 of us on this kindness journey. When we got to the Hospitality House I noticed quickly how "homey" it was. The nice front porch with the rocking chairs, the gorgeous hanging baskets and the flowers planted in the yard. I felt like I was at a home visiting a friend. On the front porch looking at the beautiful front door we rang the door bell and buzzed in.

Once we were buzzed in, we were greeted by the receptionist. I explained our journey to her and that they were the recipients to today's kindness. She thanked us on behalf of the Hospitality House and stated that the basket of goodies would be placed for the guests to enjoy.

I had no doubts this was where we were meant to be. It just felt right. We all felt good knowing that there were families in serious trials that will be able to enjoy our snacks. There was nothing special about us or our snacks....we just were able to do a small little bit.

God is soooo good to me! Thank you God for your continued kindness you show me and my family.

I hope people understand, the reason we do the kindness acts is not for us....it is because God loves us and wants us to be kind. It is one of the Fruits of the Spirits. I want to be the hands and feet of Jesus. I can never be kind enough....never! He is always sooo good to me!

This kindness act was done in honor of my friend, Michelle. God was soooo good & kind to me when he sent her to me! There are no coincidences in life everything is a Godincident!! Love it!! Love you, Michelle!

Where will we be tomorrow? Stay tuned. Until then.....

On your mark, get set, be kind.

Love you to the moon & back,
Annie, Elliott, Cody, & Miss Ellie

shopping & eating on day 10

You may be asking yourself...what does shopping and eating have to do with kindness?? Well, it's simple. Today my entire family...Elliott, Cody, Ellie and I went to the Huntington Mall to celebrate the ending of my Counseling and Psychotherapy class....WHOOO HOOO!!! Where did I want to celebrate? The Huntington Mall and eating at Cracker Barrel. Truth be told, we went to the Huntington Mall on a mission, to find a probability and statistics book for my next class. I was in luck, I did find a book.

Okay, back on track. After leaving Borders at the Huntington Mall we went right across the hall to Old Navy....zoinks scoob was it crowded!!! I of course, found items that I needed to buy. (or at least I thought I did) I stood in the check out forever. I simply wasn't moving or going anywhere....No movement at all. I was determined at this point...there was NO turning back..I was leaving with the items in my hand. I can do it....I can do it!! A young man got in line behind me and I just felt compelled to let him go in front of me in line. So, I turned around and said, "you can go ahead of me." It wasn't just the look on his face that was priceless but everyone around him. He said, "are you sure?" I said, "yes, I'm in no hurry please go ahead of me." He said thanks and got in line right in front of me. After he completed his checkout he turned around and thanked me again.

I came, I shopped, now I was ready to go to Cracker Barrel and eat. Before leaving our house, for the Huntington Mall, I picked up a cute thank you card..one I already had at home. We all had decided on this kindess act and we all wanted to do this....we wanted to give a tip twice the amount we normally leave and leave a hand written thank note inside of a thank you card.

When we made our way from the Huntington Mall to Cracker Barrel on a Saturday night I was certain we would be waiting a long time for a table. Guess what? as soon as we walked in we were seated. No waiting at all. We were recipients of kindness when we walked into Cracker Barrel someone held the door open for us. (this was NOT a Cracker Barrel employee either) This was heartwarming.

Our waitress came, she took our drink order and we were sure to listen to her name and scope out her name tag for the correct spelling of her name. As we ate I just felt that this act of kindness was the one we were meant to do. About 5 minutes before we left I got the thank you card out and Elliott served as the "watch out" person. He would alert me if our waitress was coming. We wanted the card to be a surprise to her. We simply left the card on the table with her name on the outside envelope and inside we wrote her name and simply thank you for giving your time to serve us. thank you for your attention to detail, thank you for being a blessing this evening to our family....something to this effect anyway (you know when you hit a certain age the memory just isn't there anymore) ha! We ALL signed the card! The 4 Gollihues'. When we were leaving Cracker Barrel someone held the door open for us as we left. (again, this wasn't a Cracker Barrel employee)

I enjoyed this kindness act with my family of 4. I felt that our actions tonight were hopefully and prayerfully a blessing to the person at Old Navy and the waitress at Cracker Barrel.

God is soooo good to me! Thank you God for my family of four! Thank you for allowing us all to do this act of kindness today. God loves me this I know for the Bible tells me so.....oh, he is sooo kind to me....thank you God!!! Thank you!

Where will we be tomorrow? Stay tuned! Until then.....

On your mark, get set, be kind.

Love ya to the moon & back,
Annie, Elliott, Cody & Miss Ellie

New friends, Woodland Oaks, day 9

Have you ever been inside Woodland Oaks Nursing facility? Kudos to the Nurses, Dr's, administrative assistants, housekeeping staff, everyone who makes this place sparkle like the rare gem it truly is. For years, I have passed by this Nursing home and never been inside...until today.

A couple of days ago a "little birdie" told the 3 musketeers about a precious couple who resides at Woodland Oaks and would like some visitors. In addition to visitors, the Mrs. loves hot black coffee from Tim Horton's. I knew immediately she was a woman after my own heart....Tim Horton's is my middle name....ha! I love that place!!! So, without thinking about it I told the "little birdie" we would be happy to visit and take black coffee.

We got up this morning excited knowing this was the first place we were heading...Tim Horton's then Woodland Oaks. We bought the coffee and just a hop skip and a jump away was the nursing home. Cody, Ellie and I pulled into the parking lot and we began to pray for this visit and the new friends we were about to make.

We walked through the main doors and signed in at the reception desk. We were greeted by the kindest people ever. We got directions to where we were heading and off we went...down the hallway. Every step we took I was praying. (I learned, after we left, that Cody & Ellie had been praying every step walking down the hallway.) Down the hallway, make a turn, then walk some more and we finally arrived to our destination.

The door was shut upon our arrival. We knocked twice and on the second time we heard a firm "come in". We opened the door and saw the most handsome man sitting in a recliner with the prettiest head of white hair I have ever seen in my life. His eyes danced and smiled. His eyes told that he is a gentle soul. His wife was putting on her make up and cleaning up for the day. I introduced ourselves and that a "little birdie" told us that she liked black coffee. She smiled and said, "you were here to see someone else and then stopped in to see us?" I said, "no, we only came to see you all. We are only here for you." She smiled great big and said, "how nice." She is a beautiful woman who told me of her love to read the Bible, do devotions and she loves seek n find puzzles.

We promised to visit again and the next time we are bringing seek n find puzzle books. This act of kindness has touched me in a way that has rendered me speechless.

This won't be our last visit to our new friends...we will be back. I wish I could have snapped a photo of her bright smile and his sparkling eyes. This act of kindness, we have gained 2 new friends. My life is richer having done this act of kindness.

Cody on the way out of the nursing home stopped at the nursing station to see if there were more people who needed us to be there friends. Ellie said she was going to make them all pictures to hang in their rooms. Thank you God for Cody & Ellie!!!!

Huh, you know it is funny, we set out to be a true blessing to others. We wanted to be busy being the hands and feet of Jesus. I was the one blessed today!!! Me! I haven't stopped smiling! I have been smiling thinking of the smiles I saw so early in the morning.

Praise God for the "little birdie" who told us about our new friends. Praise God for our new friends!!! Thank you God for this kindness journey with Cody & Ellie!!!! Please pray for our new friends.

I am humbled today and am truly at a complete loss of words.

Where will we be tomorrow? Stay tuned! Until then......

On your mark, get set, be kind.

Love you to the moon & back,
Annie, Cody, & Miss Ellie

Your time is up? Not today!!!

Guess what we did on day 8? You have no more time on your meter you can't be late...that's what we did on day number 8. Okay, so maybe I'm not a poet : )Have you ever parked in an area with parking meters? The one thing I have learned for sure about parking meters is do NOT and I mean do NOT allow them to expire. I laugh, because I think when my parking meter expires there is a secret alarm that sounds and alerts them to come immediately write me a ticket. Just kidding, of course. Let me just tell you first hand, to be a parking meter offender carries stiff fees.

Today, the 3 musketeers paid 2 blocks worth of parking meters. If a car was parked at a meter we added money for them. This act of kindness was especially fun because we don't know everyone that this kindness gesture impacted.

Hopefully, someone went out to pay the parking meter and was pleasantly surprised to see time still on the meter.

So, many people today thought there time was up and it wasn't. I really enjoyed this kindness act. I would love to come to my car expecting to be out of time and still have time on the meter. I felt like we were parking meter fairies bringing good to the unsuspecting people in our city.

Early in the day, we planned on this act of kindness, for today. I thought our plans were going to be foiled as it started raining. Thank God for the rain because without the rain there would be no rainbow. However, I am so thankful that it stopped so we could do this kindness journey today.

Cody & Ellie had so much fun running up and down the streets racing to the next meter. Oh, the memories we will have for a lifetime from this simple journey of kindness toward others.

This evening as my family of four began talking about our day the topic quickly became the kindness journey. Cody and Ellie just kept smiling and sharing stories about the last 8 days and the different acts of kindness. As we were in the middle of talking Cody got up and grabbed his cell phone,I said, "who are you calling? We are still talking?" He said, "I'm calling KLOVE and telling them all about our journey." For those of you who don't know KLOVE is a Christian radio station. I'm so proud of my children.

Thank you God for Elliott, Cody and Miss Ellie. I can never thank you enough. My life is blessed...thank you God!!!!!

Where will we be tomorrow? Stay tuned. Until then.....

on your mark, get set, be kind.

Love you to the moon & back,
Annie, Cody & Miss Ellie

Here are ways you can be kind...........

Since Cody, Ellie & I began our kindness journey, on June 17th, we have received daily e-mails and phone calls from people saying they want to join the kindness journey. We have answered questions about other kind acts, how to get started, etc. There has been a couple of people who called to say that they have found themselves kinder to others since our journey started. Praise God!! I'm thrilled at the idea that our kindness journey is inspiring others to be kind. That was one of the goals. I want to reiterate, there is NOTHING special about us....we are merely showing kindness because God is sooooo kind and good to us. How can we not be kind?

Kindness is contagious and it is simple. What I have found out happens with kindness is you perform a kind act and it puts a smile on your face and somebody elses face. So, why not change the world..one kind act at a time. It can happen!!!


Below is a list of kindness acts that are FREE or won't be very costly to you. Check it out.....

1. Smile at everyone.....it's contagious!!!
2. Take your neighbors mail or paper to him/her..this will save them a trip to the mailbox.
3. Bring flowers to work and share them with coworkers.
4. Garden clubs can make floral arrangements for senior centers, nursing homes, hospitals, police stations, or shut-ins.
5. Volunteer at a school
6. Extend a hand to someone in need. Give your full attention and simply listen.
7. Bring coworkers a special treat.
8. Take cookies to the Police station or fire dept as a thank you for service
9. Hold an ice cream social at a local homeless shelter (who doesn't love ice cream)
10. Sing at a nursing home. ( in my case I don't know if they would want me to sing)
11. Offer a couple of hours of baby-sitting to parents. FREE of charge to them!!!
12. Slip paper smiley faces that say “smile, you are special! Have a great day!” under the windshield wipers of parked cars.
13. Draw names at school or work, and have people bring a small gift or food treat for their secret pal.
14. Remember the bereaved with phone calls, cards, plants, and food.
15. Give someone fruits veggies from your garden
16. Pay a compliment to someone at least once a day.
17. Call or visit a home bound person.
18. Hand out balloons to children in a park. (get an okay from the Park first)
19. Tape a note to the bathroom mirror telling someone just how special they are to you...this could be for anyone (children, parents, spouse, etc)
20. Be a good neighbor. Take over a baked treat or stop by to say “Hello.”
21. Transport someone who can’t drive.
22. Mow a neighbor’s grass.
23. Take quarters to a laundry mat and pay for a complete stranger to wash or dry their clothing
24. Send a special treat to a day-care center (whether you have children there or not)
25. Volunteer at an agency that needs help.
26. Wipe rainwater off shopping carts or hold umbrellas for shoppers on the way to their cars.
27. Everyone has a story to tell....sometimes the kindest thing you can do is listen to someone tell their story.
28. Adopt a homeless pet from the humane society.
29. When school is in session, volunteer to read to students in the classroom.
30. Write notes of appreciation and bring flowers or goodies to teachers or other important people, such as the principal, nurse, custodian, and secretary.
31. Give a hug to a friend.
32. Tell your children why you love them.
33. Become a foster/adoptive parent
34. Volunteer at the library teaching adults how to read
35. Write a thank-you note to someone who has influenced your life in a positive way.
36. Give coffee to people on their way to work in the morning.
37. Donate time at a senior center.
38. Give blood.
39. Visit hospitals with smiles, treats, and friendly conversation for patients.
40. Stop by a nursing home, and visit a resident with no family nearby.
41. Tape the exact change onto a vending machine. This will buy a strangers snack. Leave a note explaining the act of kindness and encourage them to be kind.
42. Give another driver your parking spot.
43. Leave a treat or handmade note of thanks for a delivery person or mail carrier.
44. In your front yard, set up a bowl of water for your neighbors that are walking their dogs (for the dogs) and give the walkers bottled water for themselves.
45. Clean graffiti from neighborhood walls and buildings.
46. Tell your boss that you think he/she does a good job.
47. Tell your employees how much you appreciate their work.
48. Let your staff leave work an hour early.
49. Have a clean-up party in the park.
50. Tell a bus or taxi driver how much you appreciate their driving.
51. Have everyone in your office draw the name of a Random Acts of Kindness buddy out of a hat and do a kind act for their buddy that day or week.
52. Give a pair of tickets to a baseball game or concert to a stranger.
53. Leave an extra big tip for the waiter/waitress along with a thank you note.
54. Drop off a plant, cookies, or donuts to the police or fire department.
55. Open the door for another person.
56. Pay for the meal of the person behind you in the drive-through.
57. Write a note to the boss of someone who has helped you, praising the employee.
58. Leave a bouquet of flowers on the desk of a colleague at work with whom you don’t normally get along.
59. Hold the elevator door open for someone
60. Volunteer to fix up an elderly couple’s home.
61. Pay for the person behind you in the movie line.
62. Give flowers to be delivered with meal delivery programs.
63. Give toys to the children at the shelter or safe house.
64. Give friends and family kindness coupons they can redeem for kind favors.
65. Renew an old friendship by sending a letter or small gift to someone you haven’t talked with in a long time.
66. Take a welcome to the neighborhood basket to new neighbors.
67. Offer to return a shopping cart to the store for someone loading a car.
68. Take new board games to the local hospital for the pediatric floor for the children and parents to use.
69. Buy a roll of brightly colored stickers and give them to children you meet during the day.
70. Let the person behind you in the grocery store go ahead of you in line.
71. When drivers try to merge into your lane, let them in with a wave and a smile.
72. Buy cold drinks for the people next to you at a ball game.
73. Distribute kindness bookmarks that you have made.
74. Create a craft project or build a bird house with a child.
75. Give a bag of groceries to a homeless person.
76. Laugh out loud often and share your smile generously.
77. Plant a tree in your neighborhood.
78. Make a list of things to do to bring more kindness into the world, and have a friend make a list. Exchange lists and do one item per day for a month.
79. Use an instant camera to take people’s photographs at a party or community event, and give the picture to them.
80. As you go about your day, pick up trash.
81. If you know a family who has a soldier deployed overseas call the family, send letters,..offer to take the kids bowling or something fun. The spouse and children will need all kinds of support.
82. Send a gift anonymously to a friend.
83. Organize a clothing, toy, food or book drive for a charity.
84. Buy books for a day care or school.
85. Slip a $20 bill to a person who you know is having financial difficulty.
86. Take a friend to dinner and you pay.
87. Offer to take a friend’s child to ball practice.
88. Hold a you are special day party for someone you know needs to be uplifted and encouraged. The party can be similar to a birthday party complete with cake, presents, etc. Invite friends and neighbors to celebrate. Call it___ day. It would be the persons name day!!! This is fun!
89. Give the person holding a homeless sign money and ask him/her for there name...and tell them you will be praying for them.
90. Pay parking meters for meters that are about to expire. You could be saving someone from a very costly ticket.
91. Donate your magazines to a nursing home or hospitality house..they are new there.
92. Donate children's books to a homeless shelter
93. Mail a care package out to soldiers fighting overseas for our freedom. If not a care package you can be a pen pal.
94. Visit patients at the local VA hospital. The patients there have all fought for our freedom.
95. Volunteer to work your Vacation Bible School at church
96. In the night decorate your child/ren room with balloons, streamers, etc...for no special reason at all...other than you want them to feel as special as they are to you.
97. Donate your outgrown gently used sporting equipment to the league. There are plenty of children who would like to play a sport but can't afford the equipment.
98. Have a yard sale and donate ALL of the funds to a local charity you want to support.
99. Encourage your children host a lemonade stand or toy sale and all proceeds can buy children in foster care (in your area) a new toy.
100. to finish our list out....like my mom always says, "If you have nothing nice to say....say nothing at all!" This is kind! We don't realize but our words are as sharp as a sword..once they are said we can't get them back. So, if you want to say something mean...stop and think before you say anything at all.

Praise God for this kindness journey!!! We see our kindness journey similar to a game of tag. We tag someone with kindness in the hope they turn around and tag someone else with kindness. Wow, the kindness revolution we would see. So, what are you waiting for? Go play tag.

What are some other kindness acts? Tell me all about them. If you do an act....let me know.

I can't wait to hear from you.

So, on your mark, get set, be kind,

Love you to the moon & back,
Annie

Day 7, I overheated & Dairy Queen, shew!!!

Have you ever had those days that nothing and I do mean nothing goes as you have planned? Well, that was today. Starting the day we had planned on doing one act of kindness and I just wasn't feeling it for today.

So, that put us back to thinking mode. Okay, what to do?? what to do?? Well, we had pictures with the awesome For Jamie's Sake family at 10 at Central Park...could we do something there? We decided, not today. Okay, again, back to square one...what would we do today?

We decided we wanted to go to the pool it was sooooo hot. While at the pool, the three of us almost at the same time came up with an idea. We decided, when we were leaving we would pay for 2 children and 1 adult to swim...we would simply, prepay for 3 future swimmers. Well, we left 30 minutes earlier than planned because I apparently became overheated and was violently ill.....so, no prepaying for future swimmers. I didn't even think about it until I was home and beginning to feel like a human again.

The later in the evening it got the more I felt like myself....so, where was the 1st place on my mind???? Dairy Queen!!!!! I know that whenever I'm feeling bad that the cherry arctic rush makes me better in no time flat....it is miraculous!!! Ha!! just kidding!!

It was then, when the kids & I decided to venture to Dairy Queen we knew what we would do. We would pay for the person behind us in the drive thru line order. When we pulled into Dairy Queen there was NObody.....and I do mean NObody!!! We pulled in a parking spot and waited until we saw a truck look like it was heading in the direction of the drive thru...yes, we have a winner!!! Cody laughed and said,"what if he has several dinner orders....then what??" I said, "we won't think like that...even though that would be funny!!!" We ordered and drove to the first window (where you pay) when we got to the window the DQ employee had opened the window was hanging out the window waiting for us....when I got ready to hand her our money she told he to wait she was taking the trucks order. When she was ready to collect my money I said, "how much is his order?" You would have thought I had horns growing out of my head the way she looked at me when I asked that question. She then started reading me his order and told me the total. I said,"okay then, we want to pay for his order." "$7.23" she said, "he is with you?" I said, "no, we don't know him we are doing acts of kindness for a year and today is day 7." She said, "wow, dude nobody does that for me." we paid and pulled up to the next window (to claim our order)

The kids scrunched down in the seat, turned around backwards and had the windows down. All of this was to watch and listen as the DQ employee explains to this person he didn't owe anything for his order. Cody kept screaming he is shocked!! Cody & Ellie were so funny they were jumping up and down in the seats like jack in the boxes. This was a pretty "cool" act of kindness. Did you get it?? Cool?? Dairy Queen!!! Ha, ha, ha!! you all didn't know I was a comedian did you?? ha, ha, ha!!!!!

Today showed me not to try to plan every minute of everyday....God has it all under control and He doesn't need my help!! It really made me smile at how excited Cody & Ellie were with this anonymous act of kindness.

God is sooooo good to me!!!! Praise God whom all blessings flow! I have said it before and it is worth repeating, how can you not show kindness everywhere you go when God is sooo kind to us? It amazes me! Kindness is simple and contagious!! a smile, holding the door open for someone else, a phone call to a friend you have spoken to in sometime......what can you do???

What will tomorrow hold? Stay tuned. until then.....

on your mark, get set, be kind.

love you to the moon & back,
Annie, Cody & Miss Ellie

Our Lady of Bellefonte hospital on Day 6

As soon as Cody and Ellie woke up this morning the excitement about what act of kindness we would do for the day started. We also began talking about all the fun activities that we wanted to try to do this summer..you know, the visit to Central park to feed the fish, Greenbo swimming, free movies at Phoenix on certain days and everything in between made the hopeful summer to do list. Well, after we finished the list we talked about what we did last summer and it was filled with Dr. appointments, tests, hospital trips, more tests and surgery for Cody. On the days not filled with Dr's appointments he was too sick to do anything. It then became clear to all of us as if someone rang a bell as to what act of kindness we would do today.

We have a family game room and our family LOVES to play board games. The three musketeers went to the game room and found games that were brand new and never opened. We had decided to take the games to the pediatric floor at Our Lady of Bellefonte hospital. They along with our pediatricians took such great care of Cody last year and even recently with Ellie's injury.

We drove to the hospital, walked in the main doors and was greeted by 2 people I went to church with as a little girl. They were working as volunteers for the hospital today. They walked us over to the front desk (right beside the gift shop) she explained to them what the kids and I were up to. One of the volunteers said to me, "you and your sister turned out good. It had to be because you have a wonderful mother." How true! The ladies working at the front desk called the pediatric floor and explained what we wanted to do...give them 2 new games for the children and families to use. The nurse that answered on the pediatric floor said,"yes, we have children that would love the games...send them right up." Wow, they were so excited with our two board games that we have had for at least a year and never opened. The picture of the 3 of us was taken by the nurse right after we gave her the board games.

As we were leaving Cody & Ellie got a glimpse of a sick child and they said to me almost at the same time....they can use our games. Cody said, "my heart is smiling now." Ellie laughed and she said,"so is mine." They both kept talking about the quick glimpse of the child that they got as we were walking off of the pediatric floor. They were convinced that this child would play the game with parents or siblings.

I personally think this act of kindness hit really close to home with us. Cody pointed out this is where they took my blood, this is where they did my test, my x-rays, etc. Cody and Ellie both were thrilled to be able to do this act of kindness. They know what it is like having been at the hospital as patients in the past and now returning to be able to bring a smile to a child.

In the end, there was a total of 4 people in the hospital I saw that I went to church with as a child. 3 of them I hadn't seen in years it was just awesome to see them. It was also wonderful to see my children in the hospital setting healthy and helping other children.

God has certainly blessed us already with this kindness journey. Thank you God for Cody & Ellie's health, this kindness journey and my life! Praise God whom ALL blessings flow.

Where will we be tomorrow? Stay tuned!!!

on your mark, get set, be kind.

Love ya to the moon & back,
Annie, Cody & Miss Ellie

4 legged friends (ruff, ruff)

Today, is day 5 of our kindness journey, and we decided to pay our 4 legged friends a visit, at the Boyd County Animal Control Shelter. This morning as I was feeding our dog Trooper, and our cat Freedom, I thought about the less fortunate animals. This is how we decided on the animal shelter for today's act of kindness.

We took money out of our magical fun jar (this is the same money we used for the laundry mat on day #2) and off to Family Dollar we go. The 3 musketeers hit Family Dollar on a mission. We headed straight back to the pet food aisle without stopping anywhere else. Now the hard part started, the decisions. What size dog food, what kind is the best, (you know if you are going to do something give it your best...this includes dog food) and how much will it cost? Which dog food won? Alpo!!! We had so much fun up and down the aisles that I just had to take a picture of them with the dog food inside of the Family Dollar store.

Now, off to the Boyd County Animal Control Shelter. It was pouring the rain when we got there and Cody & Ellie were certain that they would melt. We ran quickly to the door and had a warm welcome once we entered. They were so pleased with our donation of two bags of Alpo dog food. They stated that they really needed our donation now. The timing was perfect! They were low on the dog food right now and had been waiting on a local business to call them to pick up some dog food. Wow, this was a God thing!! They needed it and we were there.

There is nothing special about us. We are simply doing random acts of kindness to show kindness & love to others. How can we not show kindness when the Creator shows us so much kindness everyday? Praise God whom all blessings flow!! I firmly believe that kindness is contagious....spread it around. Remember, if you get tagged with an act of kindness hold that kindness in your heart and then go tag someone else.

Where will we be tomorrow? Stay tuned!!! until then....

on your mark, get set, be kind.

Love ya to the moon & back,
Annie, Cody & Miss Ellie

Happy Father's Day

Father's Day, just happens to be the 4th day of our year long kindness journey. To me, Father's Day is bitter sweet as I love to celebrate the day with my husband, Elliott. However, my Dad and grandfathers spent this day and every other day with Jesus. When I reflect on past Father's Days, I think of cakes my sister and I made for our Dad, shirts purchased I just knew he would like that just happened to be my size and all the years worth of love & support that he showered my sister & I with. The thing that my Dad taught me that sticks out more than anything is he and my mother were the first ones who taught me about the love of Jesus. What a wonderful gift to give your children. I could not have ordered a better childhood and better parents. God blessed me beyond words.

Well, while thinking of what to do for our act of kindness, I just kept thinking about my Dad. Well, because I was thinking about my Dad,sharing stories to Cody & Ellie about their Papaw Reeves, it became clear what we would do today. My Dad was a junk food junkie, he would call them "nacketies" So, the kids and I bought a small brown wicker basket ($2.00 at Family Dollar) and filled it with snack cakes (also purchased at Family Dollar). We took the wicker, junk food filled basket along with a card simply saying we are praying (and explained the year long kindness journey that Cody, Ellie & I are on) to Community Hospice. My Dad wasn't at Hospice, but I thought of the sons & daughters who are there saying goodbye to their Dad.

Elliott joined us and drove the kids & I to Community Hospice. He was thankful that today we chose Hospice to be the recipient of our act of kindness. He had a brother pass away in March at Community Hospice. When we got to Community Hospice, the kids and I got out and went inside. I spoke to the receptionist and explained our journey and she was so gracious. She wanted to know if we wanted our basket back and wanted to make sure our name was on the card. As we were leaving the Hospice parking lot Elliott showed us (Cody, Ellie & I) where his brother's room had been just a couple of months earlier. Elliott said I'm so glad you did your random act here today....this was really nice. He is an awesome man and a wonderful father to our children. God is soooooo good to me!! Praise be to God whom all blessings flow!

This random act certainly caused the kids & I to talk lots about my Dad and their Papaw. This random act of kindness was done in memory of my Dad, Nick Reeves, who was the best Dad anyone could ever ask for.

Thank you God for my Dad, Elliott & this random act of kindness journey with Cody & Ellie.

On your mark, get set, be kind....

Love ya to the moon & back,
Annie, Cody & Miss Ellie

day 3 = coaches & teachers

Today was the last day for Cody's baseball season. Cody is 14 and Miss Ellie is 12 and there has never been a time since he was 3 and she was 18 months that they haven't been involved in an organized sport. With that being said, we have never officially thanked the coaches...not the tennis coach, the tumbling coach,swimming, basketball or baseball. Today, Cody wrote out 2 thank you cards for both of his baseball coaches that he had this year. He put in the card thanks for your help and for coaching me. Cody gave the thank you cards to his coaches at the end of the game. Thank you, Coach Gary & Coach Brent!!

So, since Cody had to strain his brain with writing the thank you cards he had a "pass" for helping with preparations for the next kindness act of the day.

We decided to thank the kids 1st and 3rd grade teachers, Mrs. Wheeler and Mrs. Pitsenberger. We (Miss Ellie & I, remember Cody had the "pass" on this part on this kindness act)made a batch of sugar cookies iced them and wrote out 2 thank you cards one for each teacher. We drove to the teachers houses and knocked on the door...Ellie handed the cookies while Cody handed the card at the first house...this was reversed at the second house. The first teacher hugged the kids at the same time and her smile was so bright. She asked them to come back and visit anytime. The next teacher when handed the card and cookies asked what she had done to deserve the cookies. I explained our kindness journey. We stayed just a minute and chatted with this teacher as well. Before we left, she as well hugged Cody and Ellie.

When we got back to the car Cody & Ellie were so excited. They were excited because they got to see teachers they have missed and love. Cody said, "we made there day." I'm not sure we made there day. However, I know one thing,this precious time with my children, in this kindness journey, makes my day...that I know for sure.

The one thing that is staying consistent with the kindness journey is if you are out of the way kind to someone they wonder what they have done to deserve your kindness. Wow, isn't that what we should be doing....being kind one to another??? Cody, Ellie & I are learning so much about each other, kindness and God and we are only on day 3.

Praise God for this kindness journey. Where will we be tomorrow? Stay tuned.

So, if you have been tagged with kindness save it in your heart and go tag someone else. Kindness is contagious....spread it around!!

Until the next time.....

on your mark, get set, be kind!!!!!

Love ya to the moon & back,
Annie, Cody & Ellie

Mother Teresa & Mark Twain??

Day # 3, well, I'm up early and giving serious thought and prayer about what kind act for the three musketeers to do today. The three of us, tossed around several great ideas last night....I really can't wait to see which one sticks for today....stay tuned.

However, I just keep thinking about what Mother Teresa & Mark Twain said about kindness......

(Mother Teresa)Let no on ever come to you without leaving better & happier. Be the living expression of God's kindness: kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile. I pray that we succeed in this not only in this year long journey, but throughout life.

(Mark Twain) Kindness is a language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see. How powerful!!! I hope & pray our kindness speak this loudly.

Kindness can change the world....I'm looking forward to this kindness revolution. This year long kindness journey that my children and I are on together, just the three of us. Oh, the kindness we will spread & the memories we will make.

On your mark, get set, be kind

Love you to the moon & back,
Annie

God opened the door at the Laundry Mat

Day # 2 of our year long kindness journey. What to do, what to do? Well, we prayed and decided to take quarters from our change jar (this change jar we use for fun...eating out, movies, bowling, etc.) We counted out $10.00 in quarters and decided to go to the laundry mat that is the closest to us and give away quarters. Our plan, was to offer to pay to wash or dry a complete strangers clothing items. One reason we thought about the laundry mat is this time last year our dryer wasn't working and we found ourselves at the same laundry mat we were planning on visiting. I took the above picture right before we went into the laundry mat.

We began working on our action plan in the car on our way to the laundry mat. What we planned to say, what we were going to do, etc. This was completely out of our way. We had no reason to stop at the laundry mat. We walked into the laundry mat and it was packed. We quickly looked around the room and you could see children running around, people folding clothes, putting clothing in dryers, washers and some were just getting ready to start...they were sorting their clothes. The very first thing we did was go over to the laundry mat attendants and tell them our reason for being there. I want to interject, I had to explain it twice as they didn't understand why we were there to simply hand out quarters.

Okay, the first person we approached was putting clothing in her dryer and it was clear to see by the look on her face that what we were offering...to pay to dry her clothes was unheard of. She said no at first and then said you just want to give it to me? I said it would be an honor for us to be able to do this for you. She allowed us to pay the 9 quarters to dry her clothing (one dryer) she informed me that the amount to dry your clothing had gone up. Cody counted out the quarters and Ellie placed the quarters in the dryer for this nice lady. She thanked us over and over as we were walking away. We asked 2 other people and they didn't even look up. They quickly told Cody, Ellie and I that they had money and no thanks.

Well, God saved the best for last. I'm not saying the first lady wasn't a true blessing but oh my gosh, the last lady won my heart. We moved from the dryer area over to the washers. We quickly noticed this lady trying to count out money....enough money to wash her clothing. I approached her, and began explaining the year long journey of kindness my children and I are on. She had the same puzzled look on her face at first...then all of a sudden before she said yes or no to the money...she began praying for us...the three of us, asking God to be with us and bless us. She asked God to let us know that what we had done for her was a blessing and for us to always know it. I asked her how much it would take to wash all of her loads of clothing and dry them....we gave her the rest of the money. We paid for all of her washing and drying that day...no coincidence we had the EXACT amount of money she needed to do ALL of her laundry!!!! How awesome is that???? When we were walking away, heading out the door to leave, she came over and said to the three of us...God will bless you for this. I said, he already has.

As soon as we walked out the door Cody, Ellie and I couldn't wait to talk about what we felt and learned from this kindness act. I felt like a kid at Christmas time about to explode with excitement wanting to tell someone about my new toy. Wow, is all I can say!!! Cody said he learned that sometime people just need to be kind to each other that at some point we all need help. Ellie said the two ladies we helped might be kind to someone because we were kind to them. I just kept saying out of the whole day we ended up there at the exact time she was loading her clothing in the washing machine. This was a Godincident for sure!!! Amazing!!!

Thank you God for opening our eyes and hearts and placing us on this year long kindness journey. I can only imagine what is in store for this year. To God be the glory..great things He has done!!! In just a matter of two days we set out to be a blessing to others and in reality the real blessings are ours. Thank you God!!!

on your mark, get set, be kind....

love you to the moon & back,
Annie, Cody & Miss Ellie

kindness #1 complete

well, the 1st act of kindness was a success!!! We prayed about what we should do and decided going into the day we wouldn't plan anything we would do either what was in front of us at the store (take a shopping cart back, help somebody else with groceries, etc.) A trip to Kroger was in order for the day. While there, we decided to buy a vase of beautiful flowers and a card.

We took the flowers & card to our next door neighbor. We have lived next door to them for almost 7 years. We speak when we see each other out in the yard and that is about it. How sad is that? We haven't been loving out neighbor have we? Cody wrote in the card, thanks for being great neighbors. God blessed us with you all as neighbors. The card was signed from the Gollihue family, Elliott, Lea Ann, Cody & Miss Ellie. Ellie walked the flowers over and handed them to the husband...who thanked her for the flowers. I received a call within 5 minutes from the wife thanking us for the flowers and card and wondered what they had done to deserve such a nice gesture. She used the word "shocked" She was shocked by our act of kindness. I told her that it was almost 7 years overdue. That we have been blessed and thank God for them and this was just a small way for us to show them.

However, her comment about being shocked by our kindness really made me think. Do we live in a society that we aren't normally nice? If you are nice to someone are they expecting you to ask them for something? or do they think you are thanking them for an act that they have done for you? Huh, nonetheless, I know they were thrilled but more than that my heart is smiling as I know we were kind today.

Praise be to God whom all blessings flow!!!

On your mark, get set, be kind.....

love ya to the moon & back,
Annie

Make a difference year

Well, it's official!! Cody, Ellie and I have decided that starting today, everyday for the next year, we are going to go out of our way to be kind to others. We will blog on what we did and how people reacted to our kindness (if this applies) if we do something and nobody knows it was from us we are merely going to report how the kindness act made us feel.

The decision to do this has been years in the making, from us talking about "love your neighbor", "be kind one toward another" & many others. Cody & Ellie have been taught that we are blessed not because of anything special we have done but because of God. Furthermore, to whom much is given....much is expected. They have always been expected to do something for others. They understand that God has them here for a purpose and it isn't to be self absorbed.

We have always had names for the days of the week..like terrific Tuesday, wonderful Wednesday, etc. Monday's are "make a difference" Monday. This week we were talking about why only make a difference one day a week? Cody & Ellie were talking about ways to get involved and to help make things better for others. This idea was born....I'm so excited to be embarking on this journey of kindness with my two best friends in the world.

So, together, the three of us, will set out to be the hands and feet of Jesus. To help where we can and do things out of the way, just to be kind.

I can't wait to see what unfolds for us in this kindness journey.....so, if you receive kindness you hold it in your heart and then give kindness away to someone else. Huh, I guess I will be playing a game of tag with my children. We will be tagging people with kindness in the hope they tag someone else. Wow, can you imagine the kindness revolution?

So, on your mark, get set, be kind.

love ya to the moon & back,
Lea Ann "Annie"