NOTE TO SELF: Remember This Week (So Much Kindness)

There are so many good good people in the world.

And sometimes I think I forget to take note of all the extraordinary kindness that's shown to me or my family.

So, I wanted to take a second and write down three really special moments we had this week, moments I hope I will try and reciprocate for other people.
 

1. Introduction To A Service Dog.

We saw a "service dog" on our way to the store Wednesday and we were immediately smitten. The puppy's name was Rarlyn and she was a beautiful dog; we were eager to learn more about her and what she does. But I was a little nervous about taking the trainer's time, because I imagine a lot of people stop them as they go about their work. (This probably comes a little from my experience post-Survivor. I am usually reluctant to stop people in public places now. Ha.)

Anyway, we ended up in conversation with Rarlyn's trainer and I couldn't believe how kind she was. She gave us a mini-overview of the work she does and explained how service dogs are used in our area. 

It was so inspiring and we learned so much. Our family loved hearing about her work. And it was a great reminder that the world is FILLED with hard-working, compassionate people.

PS: This program seems phenomenal. I know there are several, and I can't endorse any one--because I'm a no expert in this area--but this sweet woman represented "Canine Companions" (cci.org)

(c) cci.org, 2013.

2. Email/Notes From Indiana.
* We have been missing Elder Meehan a lot lately. Okay, I've been missing Elder Meehan a lot lately. I think it's just a mom-thing. This is our first child to move out and do something entirely independent from our family, so I think of him pretty often.

Well guess what? 

This week, out of NOWHERE, two separate families in his service area emailed me with a note and photo telling our family about Elder Meehan! These are families who have spent time with him, hosted him for meals, and just generally extended kindness to him while he's out in Indiana. (And one wasn't even a member of our church.) It really felt like someone had me wire-tapped this week and knew that those notes/emails would be a huge relief to me.  It was so nice of these families to take time to do this. So kind.

Our last day with Elder Meehan before he left for his mission.
(With his dad, Dave-man)

3. Gobbling Up Library Books.

When we went to the library this week (to pay a fine, ahem), we learned that they were having a surplus sale. We were able to stuff our library bags with "as many books as possible" and then we purchase them for just $1.00.

Yup, $1.00!

And the best part came when our daughters realized that we could pick out all of the hardback little kiddo books and donate them. (They're way nice books!)

So it was like a double-kind experience. The library was kind. And our girls were kind.

I love days like that.

We picked out 7 bags of books ... for $7.00. Most of them, the kids plan to donate.
But many of them are books they will read. So yay!