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Pay It Forward Friday

Now....I know what you may be thinking....ok...who does she want me to give money to now? Well....I want to tell you about my friend Joe. He owns an Automotive Shop in my city, and yes, he has helped our family many, many times...but that is not why I am writing about Joe. Joe started a practice of Pay It Forward Friday at his shop and he continues today. Joe now has two locations and is very active in both Chambers of Commerce and in many Veterans Groups as well. He began this practice because he is fully aware of the need to give back to the community. Where ever Joe is, whether he sees someone that he feels deserves a meal on him, or someone severely needing help, he is there. He recently went and cooked for the Firefighters in a nearby city just to show them that he cares, that WE all care. This goes WAY beyond paying for the person behind you in line at Starbucks, which is a great idea as well. But, you get the idea.....

There are two verses that come to mind, Luke 12:48 states, " For everyone to whom much is given, of him shall much be required." which I feel is our duty. We live in the most affluent country in the world, yet there is so much need all around us daily. I feel unfinished if I have not given of myself or my possessions each week.

The most famous verse....Matthew 25:45 states, ".....I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me." To me, this verse makes it perfectly clear what our mission is in life is. We are to help each other navigate the storms that each of us must pass through in order to reach the other side. I have been the recipient of so much love and support in my life, that I know I am called to help others as much as I can for as long as I can.

Years ago, I ran across a chart on Random Acts of Kindness for the month of December and had a fabulous time implementing them daily. It could be an anonymous note of encouragement left for someone, money taped to a REDBOX with a Merry Christmas card, random dollar bills left in books at Half Price Books, a Christmas THANK YOU sent to a soldier, etc. It absolutely made my Christmas friends....just knowing that random people found these and maybe it helped them, maybe they paid it forward...who knows? It made me feel GREAT!

These are just ideas of simple projects we can all adopt to make OUR world a better place, one random act of kindness at a time. My charge to you is to spend time with someone who you know is lonely, take a grocery cart back for someone randomly (especially in the rain), tape $2 and a microwave popcorn packet on a REDBOX near you, or pay for the person behind you in line's Starbucks! Just do something....to pay YOUR blessings forward....


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