Day 34 - Creat a Sock Drive for the homeless.

One of my future deeds is to serve food at a food bank so I decided to sign up with the Miami Rescue Mission. I got in contact with one of their supervisors and in the process of meeting them I found out about a sock drive they are having.

 

For today’s deed, I decided to create my own “deed of the day” which is to hold a SOCK DRIVE out of my office. The reason behind it is that in the past I have done several local missions with my church, all of them have touched my heart but there was one that touched it the most.
Last year, mid-year I visited an orphanage with my church called FloridaBaptist Children's Home; the mission was to help landscape the property and plant as many plants for them as possible; the orphans that resided there of course had to help us as well. For those of you that know me, you know I am NOT an outdoorsy type of girl so planting plants in the scorching heat on a Saturday morning is not my idea of an amazing weekend. There I was at 10:00am; melting away and having the hardest time ever getting my shovel in the ground. As I looked around, most of the volunteers we're with their families including a male who helped the ladies out and no one appeared to be having a difficult time, in fact they made it seem like it was a piece of cake. I was the only one there volunteering by myself and I was so aggravated that I felt like just walking to my car, getting in and driving away. Then all of a sudden this little boy, who I later found out, was 7 years old, tapped me on the back and told me in a little voice "you’re doing it wrong". I turned around with a puzzled face and he said "let me show you"; he then proceeded to grab my shovel and show me how to plant the small shrub.

We spent the rest of the day together planting the shrubs, laughing and talking. Throughout the day I learned this little boys life story, he was an orphan living at that home, his two sisters (one older and one younger) had been living there as well for going on two years.  Throughout their lives they have been transferred from orphanage to orphanage and got lucky to be placed this last time together. Their mother was a heavy drug user who didn't really care for them, and they also had other siblings that lived in other orphanages. We all had lunch together and they we're so excited to show me their beds and where they slept, they talked to me about school, about friends, about typically everything. In the little time we spent together I learned that they had never had their own room, they had never owned a brand new pair of shoes they we're all hand-me-downs, and the same went with their clothes. They had holes in their shoes and their hair was a mess but I still found them so beautiful. I not only totally fell in love with the boy but I fell in love with all three of them.

The fact that they lived this life, where they didn't have a family, didn't have an actual home and they still had a huge smile on their faces broke my heart. They told me that as long as they still had each other that was all that mattered. At that moment I wished I could have saved them, adopted all three of them and taken them home with me. I could only pray that they have been adopted and if they haven't, when they do, I hope they all go together. One thing that I did learn was to not to take things for granted, little things like new shoes, or socks on my feet, and that’s what brought me to this deed.
For many homeless people, life on the streets is hard on their feet. Many don't have shoes and if they do, there's a big chance they don't have socks. The most basic ways to keep your feet healthy are to keep them warm and dry, I remember my parents always telling me not to walk barefoot around the house because I could get sick. Myth or not, everyone loves to have warm, dry feet. You probably throw away a sock as soon as you find a hole in it without even a second thought, but for many homeless individuals, keeping feet warm with a decent pair of socks is not an option. Through "Operation Warm Feet", you can help.

Providing socks for those in need is a simple gesture that goes a long way. According to Miami Health Care for The Homeless Program "Clean, white socks are a staple of homeless health care. Rain-soaked feet, ill-fitting shoes, constant standing and diseases like diabetes take their toll on the feet of homeless people. Every day MHCHP's nurses and physicians treat a huge range of foot ailments - from trench foot to skin infections, from frostbite to nail diseases."

How many people are homeless? How many can you help by providing the comfort of warm, dry feet? If you are in the Miami area and would like to donate some brand new pairs of socks please let me know and I will collect them. If you would like to start your own "Sock Box" the information is below. For those of you in different areas who would like to make a difference, google "socks for the homeless" in your town or area and I guarantee you will find a program near you.

Remember, no matter what happens in life, be good to people. Being good to people is a wonderful legacy to leave behind. And a little spark of kindness can put a colossal burst of sunshine into someone's day!♥

Love each other as I have loved you. - John 15:12

Day 33 - Buy a bunch of flowers on your way to work. Give each one to acolleague you appreciate.

Today's deed was to purchase flowers on my way to work and give them out to the colleagues I appreciate most; I must say my co-workers love this good deed project because they benefit from it quite a bit lol. I didn't have a chance to buy the flowers early in the day so I ended up buying them on my lunch break. I split them between all of the employees I appreciate in my office which was each and every one of them.

They smiled from ear to ear when I went into their offices holding the flowers and you could tell I made their day. Sometimes all it takes is a small gesture to totally change someone's day. I don't know what your work situation is on a daily basis, but I do know that I have experienced myself what it is like to work for a horrible boss and in a horrible job situation. After being at my current job (which I love) for three years, I, like anyone else have horrible days where I just want to quit and walk out the door. But at the end of the day, I love where I work, I love the people I work with, love the owners of my company, and love everything about my job so I realized that I should show appreciation a little more often. You should take a moment to reflect on your working life today, do you enjoy your job, do you love your co-workers like they are family? What if you didn’t get along with your co-workers and/or boss, or what if you didn’t have a job at all at the moment?

In uncertain times, we should all be grateful for our jobs. Even if it isn't our dream job, there are always positive sides for everything and if you are grateful for what you have than better opportunities will always come into your life. So today take a moment to be grateful for your work environment and let the people you work with know that you appreciate them, even if it's not flowers, a little post-it note to say thank you or any small gesture at all is guaranteed to make their day. Remember, most of us work an 8 hour or more shift and if you do the math, most people spend more time throughout their entire life at work than they do at home or with their loved ones!!!

 

Day 32 - Put a love note in a loved one's lunch.

At my age, I am still a firm believer that people come into your life for a reason. One of my favorite quotes is "God doesn't give you the people you want, he gives you the people you need. To help you, to hurt you, to leave you, to love you and to make you into the person you were meant to be". It's funny because I think sometimes someone is put into your life because you need them, as if God sent them, and sometimes people don't realize that. Less than a year I met this beautiful, intelligent, funny young girl and counting the months now, it doesn't feel like less than a year, it feels like much longer, it feels like a lifetime.

She calls me her big sister and I call her my baby sister. The crazy part is that as much as I thought she needed me, I needed her just as much, as if God answered a prayer for both of us. Today I wrote her a thank you note, since I don't prepare her lunch in the morning; I snuck into her office while she was out and slipped the note into her lunch bag. The note read "Sissy♥, This is a little note to tell you that I love you more daily. I wish you could see yourself the way I see you and I wish you could love yourself the way I love you. And above all, I wish your life everything you deserve because in my opinion you deserve the world.  I can't promise to always have the right words to make you feel better, but I can promise to always have arms to give you a hug, ears to listen to whatever you want to talk about, and a heart that is always trying to make you smile. I will stand by you forever!! Love you♥, Your Boo Boo, xxoo. P.S. "If you live to be 100, I hope I live to be 100 minus 1 day, so I never have to live without you!" - Winnie the Pooh♥."

Her reply made me smile from ear to ear, knowing that a simple little card could make her happy really made my day. I know if someone wrote something like that to me it would totally touch my heart so I have made it a point, from now on to send little notes to the special people in my life so they can know just how special they are and what they mean to me, you should do the same. You don't need an actual card; just write a little note on a blank sheet of paper to someone in your life who always brings a smile to your face, your sibling, best friend, co-worker, family member or whomever!!!!

Day 31 - Tell your parents you love them and appreciate them.

People usually say "actions speak louder than words" and although I can tell my parents I love them and appreciate them on a daily basis there's really no depth to the words. I wanted to go a little beyond my deed of the day, I have always expressed myself better through writing rather than speaking so I decided to write my parents a love letter letting them know how I feel and telling them things that I have never told them before. I have always been an extremely private person when it comes to my personal life but writing these letters made me feel remarkable because I knew how it would make them feel reading it and I really hope that when I am older, my children will do the same for me.

My parents have been divorced since I was one years old so I wrote them separate letters. I am sharing these letters with you in hope that it will hearten you enough to write letters to your parents as well thanking them and telling them how much you appreciate them. Life is short, time flies by and once you lose a parent, you realize just how fast time goes by. When we are younger we don't always appreciate our parents for all that they do for us. Don't wait until it is too late to appreciate your parents and let them know while they are still here.

Dear Momma,

I know I don’t tell you often enough those two meaningful words, “thank you”, or tell you how much I appreciate you. So I am writing you this love letter to tell you that you are such an important person in my life.

I know that whenever someone tells me I look identical to you, I usually roll my eyes and deny it; in turn you always say “she hates it when people tell her that”. But the truth is, everything I love about myself comes from you. My eyes, my ability to always smile and laugh at myself, my silliness and the way I always try to see the best in people and in everything. My need to want to make the world a better place and give back to people who aren’t fortunate to have what we have. My perseverance and ability to tell myself “it will all turn out right in the end”.  I know I got my strength from you, when I was little I thought you could do anything, you we’re like a superhero, my superhero. You have taught me to be brave, I remember you always telling me “if you fill your face with laughing, there will be no more room for crying”. You have taught me to love myself, to never settle and to always have compassion for others. No matter how many times I repeat a story, you never interrupt, always listen and allow me to make my own mistakes. It never ceases to amaze me how self-less you are and always have been.

I love you for so many reasons. I appreciate how you take care of me, even at 27, when I’m sick. How you let me cry on your shoulder, even when I’ve made really stupid mistakes you warned me about. And how you are one of the funniest people on this entire planet, I love how all of my friends have always fallen in love with you instantly, and how you draw people in.

You are not only my mother, but you are my best friend. I have always had many friends but when I lived up north the only person I spoke to at least 10 times a day was you, I could talk to you forever on the phone about nothing and love every minute of it. I can tell you anything knowing that you’ll always give me an honest opinion.  You have taught me so many valuable lessons about life that I will carry with me forever. You have given me guidance, even when I wouldn’t listen. You have loved me when I didn’t deserve it. You have believed in me even when I didn’t believe in myself.

You have been my friend, my cheerleader, my counselor, my advocate, my protector, my cook, my maid, my nurse, my rock, my everything, but my favorite thing you have been is my mother. Thank you for giving me tools to be a happy, kind, and loving person and for setting an example of the type of mother I would like to be in the future.

I will never be able to repay you for all that you have done for me, all that you have sacrificed for me, all that you have said, all the wisdom you have shared, and all the love you have shown me. I realize that I don’t give you as much credit as you deserve. I can’t express in words what you give me without even knowing it. You’re an amazing mother and I don’t think I tell you enough. I hope that I make you proud and I hope I can always lift you up. Today. Tomorrow. Always.

I love you momma,

C

Day 30 - Deliver something small and sweet to everyone on your team - midafternoon, just when everyone's energy wanes.

The funny thing about today's deed is that about two weeks ago I had a doctor's appointment and when I returned to the office I brought everyone cake slices from my favorite bakery. In other words, I performed the deed of the day two weeks ago without having any knowledge that it would be a deed of the day. I always do little things like that for everyone in the office or anyone I care about for that matter because a) I love to see people smile and b) I love the feeling when someone surprises me when I least expect it with something sweet.


Two weeks prior when everyone least expected it I told them an emergency had arisen on the property and I needed to meet with everyone as soon as possible in our office conference room. Quickly everyone arrived with worried looks on their faces (when I say everyone I am speaking about the three co-workers I work with me in my office); as soon as they arrived asking what happened with concern I informed them it was happy hour time and time to eat a piece of cake. Everyone smiled and laughed as they sat down and enjoyed 20 minutes of delicious cake, conversation and laughter.

Today on my lunch break I went to our local grocery store Publix and purchased the most delicious looking cupcakes in the entire bakery, when I arrived back in the office I requested a quick meeting in the conference room. This time around everyone knew what was going on and we're more than happy to come into the conference room. I gave everyone paper plates and napkins and let them choose the cupcake of their choice, the price for the cupcake was a picture of themselves holding their cupcake. We all put our busy schedules and to-do lists aside for 20 minutes and enjoyed each other’s company while enjoying a yummy cupcake. It was nice to take a mental break and not talk about work; instead we talked to each other for a bit. In the future, when everyone in your office is having a hectic, overwhelming day take a short drive to a nearby bakery and buy some treats for your team. I promise you not only will the mood change in the office but the cheerfulness and kindheartedness will rub off on everyone else and will completely switch the mood in your office. Not only that but I guarantee someone will surprise you on your worse day with something sweet to brighten your day up!!!♥♥♥

Day 29 - Donate old books.

Knowing today's deed in advance I started looking through boxes for books on Sunday night; I knew during my last move when I was moving back to Miami from up north I had packed a box of just books. As I have mentioned several times in the past, I love to read but not only do I love to read but I also love to collect books. I envision someday having a beautiful book shelf in the living room filled with all types of different books. But the reality is, that day will not be coming for a while and instead these wonderful books have been sitting in a dusty box for over a year. After searching our storage room for nearly an hour I was relieved to finally find the box full of books.

One thing I am not is a hoarder; I am completely in sync with the idea of “out with the old and in with the new”. I make it a point to clean out my closet every couple of months and sometimes even get rid of clothes with tags on them so it wasn't hard for me to part with the books. I know that in the future when I do have this wonderful book shelf I am fortunate enough to purchase new books but someone less fortunate who doesn't have that luxury could really use these books and it would totally make their day when they receive them as a gift.
I went through the books dusting them off and smiling as I thought of the memories of reading them, I then proceeded to place them in a new clean box with a note that read "I hope these books help someone day dream like they did to me and once reading I hope that person decides to pay it forward by giving someone else that day dream as I did".

My initial thought was to give these books to Good Will but then I remembered that Good Will actually would re-sell the books. I wanted people who couldn't afford to purchase books to get these. I started thinking and it wasn't long until I remembered about the orphanage located in Homestead, Florida that I had volunteered at several times with my church in the past, Open House Ministries.

Open House Ministries is an amazing orphanage now known as "God's spot", it provides children and teenagers after school tutor programs, a health clinic for families that cannot afford to see a doctor, social services for families as well as an organization for community development. While volunteering there in the past I have come across amazing children and teenagers of all ages which I knew would love and appreciate these books just as much as I did. I contacted one of the employees at the ministry and set up a time to drop the books off. After work today I headed directly there and met with her to give her the books, while there I greeted a couple of small children who we're beyond thrilled to look into the box to see what books we're in there. Giving them something as simple as old books brought so much happiness to them and touched me beyond belief. I will now make it a point to take old books to the ministries on a normal basis, just so I could see smiles the way I saw them tonight. I really hope this entry encourages you to get some of your very own old books together and take them to an orphanage near you. The reward of giving these books to less fortunate children or adults for that matter will definitely give you an unbelievably good feeling.

If any of you live in the Miami area and would like to donate some old books, toys, clothes, etc. to Open House Ministries you can reach them at (305) 242-1418.♥

Day 28 - Allow everyone else to go first all day.

When I read my deed of the day I took it literally, not just to allow people to walk in front of me or to hold the door but to literally let everyone go first, speak first, walk first, take the first bite of the dessert, etc. For those of you who know me know that allowing everyone to go first all day is nearly impossible for me. I have always been one to interrupt people when they are talking because I am so excited to say my side of the story. I love taking the first bite out of everything hence the fact that I used to tell my little cousins growing up "let me try it first, I want to make sure it's not poisonous; I'm doing it for your safety"; they believed it until they we're around 9 years old and then they would just roll their eyes and laugh.


I started the day by opening the door for everyone and letting them walk inside places first which was fairly easy. This task did not really get difficult until we went to an employee lunch, whenever people would be in a story and I wanted to add my two cents, I would go to interrupt them and then completely remember my deed and bite my tongue. It was definitely harder than I thought it would be. When the food came out, it took every single bone in my body to offer everyone a taste before I took a bite. As the day progressed my deed got harder and harder but by the evening I was so used to it I didn't have to think twice about allowing someone to go first which was definitely odd for me.


What I learned from this is... it's actually nice to let someone talk without interrupting them because I got more of a chance to listen to their story and actually focus on what they we're saying instead of thinking about what I wanted to say. And in return I found that when I let people finish their story without cutting them off, they would do the same with me. Now, the whole letting them take a bite first? I didn't learn anything from that and will choose not to do so anymore! Lol jk jk! Seriously, I've come to notice that people are usually so consumed with themselves, it's kind of sad that people always think about themselves and I am ashamed to say I am one of them. This deed definitely made me realize it's actually nice to listen and not be the one talking all of the time. It's truly nice to see someone’s face full of delight when they take the first bite of the cheesecake and it's really nice to open the door for someone, it proves chivalry isn't dead. I encourage you to try that today, allow everyone to go first all day and I am pretty sure you’re going to feel just like me at the end of the day, happy I did so! Trust me, if I can do it, ANYONE can do it!!

Day 27 - Find ways to help others avoid embarassment.

Firstly I would like to apologize for skipping some days with my entries; I caught a bad flu and have been home in bed with a fever feeling near death. Either way that is no excuse and I promise it won't happen again.

Today’s deed was a bit more on the difficult side because I really didn't know how I was going to proceed with helping someone avoid embarrassment. I didn't go in to work today because I am still trying to beat this flu out of my system but I could definitely get out of bed so I decided to do some mind cleansing with yoga and then hit the sauna afterwards to sweat everything out. I was a little stressed trying to figure out how I was going to complete my deed and worried that I wouldn't have an entry and go yet another day without a post and then it hit me.

As I was walking into the half empty gym, there was a young girl in front of me checking in. I see her put her number in the check in keyboard and as she goes to quickly walk away the man at the front desk yelled "excuse me mam’ can you please come back here?”.  She turned around with a very nervous face and the man started asking her questions claiming that she didn't look like the girl in the picture. Many times I had been a witness of this, someone trying to sneak into the gym with someone else’s membership; usually I would just walk around them and continue on my way. But this time I politely proclaimed "I am sorry to interrupt but this is definitely the girl in the picture, she is in my yoga class and I see her on a weekly basis", the girl looked shocked and the guy look puzzled but he of course didn't want to debate and agreed to let her in with an apology. As I went to walk away the girl thanked me numerous times.

Although the situation was nothing major and it was a petty deed it really made me smile knowing that I had helped someone else out. So many times we run into small situations that we could make a difference in but we always choose to go on with our own lives and not help out a stranger. Next time you run into a situation where not only could you help someone avoid embarrassment but you could also make their day, do it!! It's the small things that count in this world and many good small deeds could eventually turn into an amazing big deed!!

Day 26 - Be quick to apologize.

When I read this deed I thought to myself, what am I going to apologize for or to whom? I didn't really think on a normal basis things happened that you found the need to apologize for. But I went forward with my day thinking about ideas on how I could complete my deed.

The more the day went on, the more I noticed myself apologizing; for not responding to an e-mail rapid enough, to cutting the car off while driving, to apologizing to a tenant for someone else’s mistake. Even though I was apologizing for something I didn't do, I noticed every single time I got the same reaction... calmness and appreciation. Every time I said those two words "I apologize", the person on the other ends mood would completely do a turn around. It is very rare to hear someone say they are sorry whether for something petty, something big, or something someone else did; what you’re doing by apologizing is acknowledging that there was a problem in the first place whether it was done by you or by someone else. I've always been one to automatically apologize for something but when I first started at my job my boss whom is like a father would always tell me "never apologize for something, for when you apologize you are taking fault for something as if you did something wrong". On the contrary from what he said I would always still apologize because I found that when I would do so most would become at peace and cooperate more with you.

Too often we are quick to judge and slow to apologize. Worse yet, we justify our actions by saying something like, "everyone does it" or "no big deal". It takes courage to admit a mistake. Ben Ames Williams said this about courage; "life is the acceptance of responsibilities, or their evasion; it is a business of meeting obligations, or avoiding them". What I learned from today’s deed is, be quick to apologize and you will be living your very best life. We've all heard the saying "be quick to forgive". The saying, "be quick to apologize" is just as important, and much more difficult to carry out. Apologies are ego-killers.

And when you go to apologize always remember this... sorry doesn't mean they're right, and you're wrong. It means you value your relationship more than your ego!!

Day 25 - Pay for someone behind you at the lunch counter.

I figured the best time to do this deed would be on my lunch hour at work; I tend to be on the shy side if I don't know someone and I definitely didn't want to be thanked for my deed face to face. So on my lunch break I went to Wendy's fast food restaurant drive thru to buy myself a salad; I took my time before ordering waiting for someone to pull up behind me. An older Hispanic woman pulled up in a falling apart car and I knew right away she was the perfect candidate. When I got to the window to pay I nervously asked the cashier how much the ladies bill was behind me, she told me it was $7.43 and I told her I would like to pay for it. She had to get her manager to override the transaction so that I could pay for both together. I go to that particular Wendy’s for salads several times a month and the cashier working had seen me several times previously, she smiled as she handed me back my card.

Once I paid for both meals I sped up to the second window and in my head I was thinking "please hurry up, please hurry up". I wonder what the cashier said to her and I wonder what she thought when she found out I had paid. As I drove off I looked at her car and she wasn't looking at me at all so I drove off. It wasn't until I got to my office that I decided to Google similar people who had performed the same deed; I found several and all made me realize that I had completed my deed incorrectly.

My book just read "pay for the person behind you" but after researching I found I was either a) supposed to give the cashier a card that read "pay it forward" or b) tell the cashier that I was doing a random act of kindness and that I hoped they would do the same thing for someone else in the future. When I read this I was so distraught, I felt like I had done the deed wrong and for nothing. What if she thought I was just a creepy girl who paid for her meal or someone who felt sorry for her etc. I started asking people in my office and they assured me the person thought it was an act of kindness. I hope that was the case, I remember long ago when I was younger I was driving on the highway and when I got to the toll the cashier told me the person in front had paid for me. It was only $0.75 cents but that completely made my day and made me smile from ear to ear; I hope that was the case with the person I paid for. Even if for only a minute, an hour, a day or a week I hope I made her smile and know that nice people do exist and acts of kindness do happen!

Day 24 - Be mindful of saying "Please" and "Thank-you" and "You'rewelcome" - all day long.

Growing up I was always very courteous and said please, thank you and you're welcome; manners was something that we we're taught since we we're young and it was something that was very important in my family. I didn't notice until recently that most people don't say please or thank you enough, I've noticed it at restaurants, or anywhere with customer service. I guess people assume that since they are getting paid for working it's their job to do it and you shouldn't have to say please nor thank you - wrong, you should always use manners and once you do you will realize not only that people will be much nicer but in turn will want to give you better service.

Something I started doing as an adult is writing thank you notes because I noticed that whenever I would receive one it would make me so happy. Happy that someone noticed my nice gesture enough to write me a note. So when someone does something nice for me I make it a point to send them a thank you note and you should too.

• When someone gives you a present…write a thank you note.
• When someone acts as your reference….write a thank you note.
• When you go to an interview for a job...write a thank you note for their time.
• When someone invites you to dinner at their house...write a thank you note.
• When someone takes the time to help you….write a thank you note.
• When someones sits there listening to you vent...say thank you for listening.

That little gesture you make by taking 2 minutes of your busy life to write a note to them will totally make their day, because now a days nice gestures are usually expected and usually  go without a genuine "thank you". Trust me, that little thank you note will make a huge impression on that person.

I don't know about you but when someone cuts me off on the highway or anywhere for that matter I get legitimate road rage but it's amazing how much calmer I get if that person waves a "thank you" as they're switching lanes.

You never know how much it might mean to someone or how much it may validate all the work they put into something or how big of a smile it might bring to their face. Along with saying thank you, saying please and you're welcome are important words to use in your vocabulary as well. Having manners is something that makes people see you in a different light. When you ask for something even if it's work related always say "please"; it makes people want to help you or do that favor for you because you're asking nicely and not just expecting it!

Today for mydeed of the day not only did I manage to over-use the words "please","thank you" and "you're welcome" but I also decided tothank everyone in my life who has made an impact on me because I don't wantthat to go unnoticed. Also, I noticed while ordering food when I was eating out,the second I would say "please" or "thank you" theemployee's attitude would completely change in a good way and it definitelymade a difference which encouraged me to show more gratitude. Lesson fortoday... HAVE GRATITUDE AND MANNERS PEOPLE and you will notice the differenceon an everyday basis.
So go out there today and say thank you:

• Call your family and say thanks for being there for you always.
• Leave a comment on your favorite blog especially if you've never commented before, say thanks for writing.
• Leave an extra tip for your waiter/waitress and say thanks for a great meal
• Thank someone you see doing a usually thankless job like collecting trash and/or cleaning the bathroom.
• Send a note to a friend and say thanks for sticking by your side over the years.

Because I think a lot of people truly underestimate the power of a simple “thank you”!!

Every single one of us has so much to be thankful for, so give thanks for it and say THANK YOU!

Believe me it will be worth your while and will really make a difference. So while I am at it, here is my thank you...

• To everyone, if anyone, takes the time to read my blog.
• To all of my friends and family who motivate me every single day.
• To my entire support system for everything you do every single day.
• To anyone I have actually encouraged to do better in this world.

I know I don't say it enough but thank you! And if you're in the neighborhood can you "please" bring me a cupcake? Lol jk.♥

Day 23 - Ask a friend who seems down to go for a walk.

Today, when I went for a walk with my friend, we spoke about everything except for what was really bothering her. We laughed about stupid things and I didn't want to ruin it because she was happy and her being happy makes me happy. What I really wanted to tell her was... I'm not going to sit here and act like I know everything, how you're feeling or what you're going through. But I promise it will get better, however sometimes things have to get worse before they get better, it sucks but it almost always works out pretty well in the end. I know sometimes you feel alone, you lock yourself in your room and you want nothing more than to fall asleep and forget everything or you go for a long drive to clear your mind. I want you to always remember that the people around you, friends, family and especially me will always love you.

I'll always be here through thick and thin, you can come to me, I'll listen. I'm your friend, I won't push you away. When you need a hug, my arms are wide open. When you need to talk, I have an open ear. You’re growing up and getting older, know that I'm always here, I'm not going anywhere. You're in my heart and my prayers. Just know I'm here because I truly care. You're my sister, you mean so much. Don't want to see you hurt or cry, I'll wipe the tears, I'll get rid of your fears. Want to see you grow up and achieve. Just believe, have faith. You can do anything. You're beautiful inside and out. You're smart and very talented. You're many things, but most of all, you're my sister. I believe in you and know that I'll never stop loving you.

What I learned from today's deed is when you walk with a friend, you don't walk for them, ahead of them or behind them - but next to them. I am blessed with good friends who are walking with me. These are the friends who understand and do not get upset if I don't return a phone call, or turn down going out; they are the ones who just sit and allow me to be silent or be talkative, allowing me to be social or slip into solitude and for that I am blessed to have them in my life. Do you have any friends like that? If you do, tell them how much you appreciate them today and maybe even go for a walk with them when times are good or bad!!

Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see a shadow. – Helen Keller