We started off our morning with temperatures well below freezing. It's been quite a torturous winter for us Texas transplants. So our first stop was the State Highway Department. These angels disguised in coveralls and beards works some crazy hours in some awful conditions to clear the roads around my home. I cannot tell you how thankful I am for this group. I baked them some blubbery coffeecakes, which we delivered to their office. They were so incredibly kind and funny. One of them told the kids, "Be sure to do your best in school and make good grades, so that you don't ever have to drive a snowplow. Instead you can sit inside a warm office and watch the plow go by".
Next we headed off to our family doctor's office and then to Wes' pulmonologist's office. We delivered ice-cream cakes and thank you cards to each of them for the amazing care they have given to our family. I was tearful writing these cards, because I am just so thankful for the way they care for us. Dr. Britt 's office has taken care of my family since we moved to Indiana. They have been there for us through 2 emergency surgeries for Hunter, various stitches and broken fingers amongst my boys, ADHD meds for the oldest, and most recently our cancer scare with Wes. They give us the same kind of care that they would want shown to their families, and we are so grateful for that. Then there is Dr. Alcorn and his staff. When Wes' CT scan in August revealed nodules in his lungs and enlarged lymph nodes, we were referred to Dr. Alcorn for treatment. I had worked with him a few times in the ER and always appreciated how nice he was to the nurse's and patients, but had not spent much time around him. I have nothing but praise for him and his staff. Dr. Alcorn made phone calls himself to get Wes in sooner for necessary scans, tests, and his biopsy. He spoke to us in "real talk" and assured us that if we were in fact facing cancer that he and Wes were up for the fight. Wes had a promising follow up in December, and we look forward to more good news following his scan in June. I was so happy to get to share my birthday with these awesome folks.
Our next stop was Redbox kiosks, and The Dollar Tree. We left movie night containers on top of 3 different Redbox locations for random customers to enjoy. Then we went and left $1 bills on various items inside of The Dollar Tree.
Next we headed to the hospital and dropped off another ice-cream cake for my coworkers in the emergency department as well as a card of thanks for putting up with me and for seriously being the best group of people I could ever hope to work with. Then we headed to various departments in the hospital so that I could leave them small baskets filled with candy, gum, and a thank you card. I could not do my job without the help of hundreds of other people. I think we dropped off 12 baskets in all, and I wish I had gotten more because there were some very important people who got left out. Everyone was very gracious for the small token of thanks. My favorite reaction was when one of them said, "This is a joke right?", and as we were walking away she said, "I'm still looking for the hidden cameras". Looks like I should probably be doing nice things more often so that people aren't so shocked when I do it next time.
While we were at the hospital we delivered approximately 100 handmade cards that my children had been working on over the past few weeks. Hunter used some of his newly acquired calligraphy skills, and I was touched by some of the sweet sentiments written by my kids. I hope that the cards made the recipients smile as well. We also delivered 10 helium balloons for the nurse's to pass out to patients, and hung up a flyer of free compliments in one of the elevators. Before leaving, we stopped and left money on the vending machines. I know that when I've been to the emergency room (whether as an employee or as the family of a patient), I'm usually in such a panic that grabbing some quarters for a snack or drink is the furthest thing from my mind.
After leaving the hospital, we headed over to Lala and Mama Karst's houses. These two ladies live across the street from each other and are so special not just to me, but to my children. They both have the home that every kid wants to hang out at. They host the best sleepovers and make the best meals (from what I've been told). I am so thankful to have them as part of our village. Raising kids is hard, but it's a whole lot easier when you've got some awesome people on your team that are willing to love on your kids and encourage them the way that you do. The kids delivered a thank you note from me as well as a small gift. The kids were so excited to see their other mamas for a minute.
Next we headed downtown to our local cancer treatment center. We left a basket filled with word find and crossword puzzle books, pencils, Kleenex, and throat lozenges, as well as 40 more handmade cards from the kids. All these intentional acts of kindness were working up an appetite in my crew, so we stopped to refuel. When we were ready to go, we paid our bill, left a tip, and included a lottery ticket for our waitress. We also left some free compliments on the bathroom door.
Not sure if you can see the awesome sweatshirt I'm wearing, but it says, "Be the change you hope to see in the world". It's super comfy, and I got it from an awesome company called Sevenly. Each week this company sponsors a different charity, and donates $7 from every purchase to that charity. Some items are available all of the time, but there are also new shirts and products each week that are specific to that weeks charity.
After leaving the restaurant, we stopped by The Barbershop to hand out lottery tickets to our favorite barbers in town, and hang some free compliments on their door. When I walked into the shop, Jane and Aimee serenaded me with a wonderful version of "Happy Birthday To You". I'm so glad that I've had the opportunity to get to know these fun women over the last year.
It was time now to head back to the hilltop,which is where the more commercial retail shops are located. Grace and I headed into some dressing rooms to leave some words of encouragement for shoppers. We also left a few lottery tickets laying on clothing displays. Then we headed over to Wal-Mart where we left money on their vending machines, and words of encouragement throughout the store. The kids also set out to give away the remaining lottery tickets. In general people were happy to take them from Grace, but were more leery of the boys. They were told no several times as they attempted to give away lottery tickets, and I suspect that people thought there was some sort of catch. In the end, they were able to give them all away, and they really seemed to enjoy doing it.
The last intentional act of kindness had to wait a few days for classes to resume (after another snowpocalypse). My kids have an amazing group of teachers, and I've done a pretty decent job over the years of letting the elementary teachers and staff know just how much they mean to me. However, I have failed miserably at showing my appreciation to the secondary teachers and staff. So I sat down and wrote a thank you note to one of the middle school teachers and one of the high school teachers who have each made an impact in the lives of my kids. I also included a journal for each of them. So much of what I did on my birthday was handing out overdue thank you's to people who have touched the life of my family. And what was so crazy was how many thank you's I got in return for expressing my thanks to them.
Now the VERY best part of my birthday was how many of you decided to join in on the celebration. I am SOOOO incredibly excited about how many of you decided to make a donation to Hope 4 Tiny Hearts and to the Kennedy Rucker Scholarship Fund (℅ Morgan Nay, 325 Demaree Drive, Madison, IN 47250 or via Payapl: cami_pitman@sbcglobal.net). Thank you so much for your generosity!! Raising money for these two awesome causes was the highlight of my birthday and if you haven't had a chance to donate yet, it's not too late.
Life can be crazy, and people can be cranky (especially me), but I have to tell you that a little bit DOES go a long way. Kindness DOES matter. Take time to stop, to breathe, and be kind to one another.
