Will someone please remind me of this crazy-hot weather when the snow is swirling and it’s 30 degrees below zero this winter?
Living in the Dakotas creates a sort of seasonal amnesia. When it’s hot, we forget it’s going to get really cold — and when it’s cold, we forget it’s going to get really hot. At least I do.
I prefer to take shelter in the soothing comfort of my air conditioning, but thanks to kind hearts, other people are using the heat to raise money for a good cause.
Diane Williams, from Stoughton, Wis., sent me this story about a very cool afternoon created by her granddaughters.
“My three granddaughters (Hannah, age 10, Finley, age 9, and Alaina, age 5) and a couple of their friends recently did a fundraising event selling sno-cones and popcorn at a street side stand in Evansville, Wis. They made $52 to donate to Eva Love, a 7-year-old girl who sustained severe head trauma from a tragic accident that happened a year ago.
“I’m so proud of these girls for such loving acts of kindness. I’d like to share with you the cards the older girls made to send to Eva with their donation.
“Hi Eva, I’m Finley. I heard about your accident and we are praying you get better. Today we had a sno-cone stand and got $52. Some of our friends helped. We hope you get better soon.”
Acts of kindness are contagious. They make people want to reach out and help.
Another thing I love about kindness is that it makes us aware of the people around us who are also adding good into the world. That certainly happened for Diane’s granddaughters.
“My granddaughters also got to witness kindness through their customers. One man stands out in particular.
“Niles Olson works as an appliance repair technician and was lost trying to find his next house. He was driving his work truck and saw two girls at the corner waving signs to encourage drivers to go the extra block and stop at the sno-cone stand.
“When Niles came to buy his sno-cone, he shared that he always stops when he sees kids working hard. Wow! What a special person!
“Niles was so touched to hear they were raising money for a good cause, he put $10 in the jar. His heart to take five minutes out of his day to pay attention to all these kids working was sweet.”
It may have turned out to be a good marketing plan on the part of Niles. I bet the five adults sitting around the lawn monitoring the stand might think about Niles when their next appliance breaks down.
Yep, kindness is contagious.
ARCHIVE: Read more of Nicole J. Phillips’ Kindness is Contagious columns
Please continue to share your stories of kindness with me at info@nicolejphillips.com.
