Love tokens

I've been making these little cotton felt hearts, which I have dubbed, "Love Tokens".  (and i'm going to do a little tutorial at some point).I like to give them out to people I meet in public (strangers) who look like they are having a bad day or maybe they work one of those jobs that none of us want to do (like cleaning a public bathroom). Or I like to give them out if I received excellent customer service (a rarity these days!) 

I recently handed one to a toll booth attendant. She wasn't very friendly and you could tell she was just go through the same motions again and again (probably bored out of her mind, i get that.) When I handed it to her, I explained that I was giving it to her to let her know I appreciate her. She got the biggest smile on her face. It was fun to shock and surprise her. And hopefully it made a difference in her day. 

I'm getting ready to leave for 2 weeks (taking miss sophie with me) doing some teaching and traveling  to Nashville, TN (Art-is-You) and Saluda, NC (Random Arts) and I will hand these out along the way. When I stop at rest stops, I also like to put them in the return dispenser on candy/gumball machines!

giving back

I'm getting ready to leave for Puerta Vallarta on Sunday. doing all those last minute things like finishing up projects, packing, cleaning house, etc. All that fun stuff to get done, just to getaway and relax! but i am really looking forward to it and can't wait to tell you all about it when i return.



anyway, i thought today i would talk about RAK's (random acts of kindness).

wiki defines
random act of kindness as a selfless act performed by a person or people wishing to either assist or cheer up an individual person or people.

December is the perfect opportunity to randomly be kind to others and get into that spirit of giving. RAK's don't have to be about money either. there are so many ways to give to others without spending a dime.

you can make anyone's day by simply holding the door open for the mom struggling with her stroller or for the elderly couple leaving the store. Look people in the eye and say thank you when they do a nice deed for you as well. It sad that so must politeness has left our society. I've been making a conscientious effort to be more polite on an everyday level.

You can randomly buy the person's coffee behind you. I like to buy 2 of things and then randomly give the other one away. I know if i like it, someone else will like it too! Even thanking someone for doing a job well done (how about acknowledging the lady who is cleaning the public restroom?)

i found a fun website, The Random Acts of Kindness Website, and it is full of ideas on how to be kinder and how to do simple things that can mean so much to someone else. and you never know when someone else needs to know that others care. Read some of the stories too, very inspiring!

i'd love to hear your stories of your RAK's or if you have been the receiver of a RAK. I always think of the RAK that I received about 10 years ago. On Christmas day, I had driven with Tucker in his van over to drop off a gift to my friend/his friend/his caregiver, Michele. When we were leaving, as i was backing out of her driveway, I hit a car. Granted it was an older, beat up car, but still i hit it and i didn't feel good about just leaving. So Michele watched Tucker while i walked around to find the owner. Finally found him and told him what happened. I was all prepared to get chewed out, etc. and he just looks at me and says, "hey, it's Christmas, don't worry about it". I still smile when i think about that!

Here's to a terrific RAK holiday season!

My own muse........

this morning, out of the blue, my friend and fellow artist, Kimberly Moore, sent me a message that she had painted this muse for me. just for me! i feel so honored and am just tickled by the unexpected gesture.

thanks so much, kim - so sweet.

kind words...

the universe must be thinking of me since (and i haven't admitted this), but i 've been feeling a little down. i'm having sad pangs of my younger son, Dillon, getting older. he's 15 and seems so grown up. he's at that age where he has a girlfriend, wants to be with his friends ALL the time and seems to relate more to his dad (being a male and all)- so it is kind of tough on me. i've been having to learn to let go, which has been hard. given the differences between tuck and dillon, all that i missed with tucker, i threw into dillon. the whole thought of my children getting older makes me sad. i miss those little guys. so to have to sit by the sidelines is a new experience. i keep thinking how fast it is all going. he'll be a sophmore next year and then pretty soon it is off to college! but any way, i digress.

i was referring to the universe because today i recevied this nice award from terri ventura. yesterday i received an RAK from fellow charmsters, Laurel. it was a little birdie and she thought of me. i will add it with my other charms that i get from the bird charm swap i am hosting with the charmsters. i am waiting for a few more charms and then i can start sorting them. and then on saturday i received some earrings from Amy Hanna. I met Amy at that Artnest retreat where she was teaching us how to take our treasures and turn them into jewelery. she definitely got me started in my new jewelry direction (although my first piece was quite challenging and took FOREVER to create). anyway, when Amy was getting ready to teach, she was overwhelmed by all the eager students who wanted to buy her jewelry. things got really hectic and i could tell that she needed a little help. so i jumped in and helped out where i could. i've been in those situations before and i just thought, she needs some help! she emailed me after i let her know they had arrived and said the sweetest thing to me:

Keesha, I am glad you recieved your earrings. I just wanted to thank you again for being such a sweet heart and helping me. You have a beautiful spirit and I just wanted you to know that I noticed it. I hope our paths cross again in the future. May god bless you and your family!! love,amy

wasnt' that nice? i really took it to heart that she would tell me something so kind. it is nice to be appreciated like that. here is a picture of my lovely earrings. i will be passing on the award to Kim, Cindy, Zhulia, Jan, Joanne, Michelle and Sandra