Weekend Kindness
Reaching Others Through Kindness

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When I was young, my parents had a peninsula on their counter that had three counter stools that? stood in front of it.? Many of the days when we were home my mom would feed us lunch at these stools?and I still have fond memories of Flintstone vitamins and chicken noodle soup.

Those stools allowed us to watch my mom make lunch, and? brought us eye-level with her as we talked about what was going on that day.

Of course, some of my siblings don?t have such fond memories of their experience with a bar stool.? One of my brothers ended up tipping backwards and getting hurt?but that?s another story.

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I grew up in a home with two bathrooms.? There was ?dad?s? bathroom and there was everyone else?s bathroom.? And there was only one tub.? Of course, dad?s bathroom was rarely just his, it just had that name, but I digress.

In both places that I?ve lived since I?ve been married we?ve had only one bathroom?and it is an exercise in kindness for five people to share one bathroom.? Kindness in taking turns, in not flushing the toilet when someone?s in the shower, etc.

In the new house that we?ve put an offer on, there are two bathrooms?and this dad might get to share a bathroom with his wife!

What kind of bathroom situation do you find yourself in?

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It?s easy to show kindness to someone you like?and even someone you love?but how often have you showed kindness to an absolute stranger?

They pass you every day.  They?re walking along the street with you, into the parking garage with you, and they?re standing behind you in the check out line.  Do you notice them, or are they in your way.

Here?s a few simple ways to show kindness to a stranger, and brighten their day:

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I’ve received a number of positive comments on my post “A Life of Doing: Do the Right Thing,” and realized this is exactly the type of post that would work well on Weekend Kindness.

I’m not writing this to make myself look good, but because I’m feeling a new confidence in doing the positive, whether it’s for friends, family, or acquaintences who would be encouraged by knowing they are being thought of and are important to me.

I found the quote below in Reader’s Digest and it has many implications for how we treat the people in our lives.? Too many times we think there is a “window of opportunity” for certain actions, when, in fact, doing the right, or positive, thing has no statute of limitations.

Did your new neighbors move in two months ago and you haven’t met them yet?? Bake some brownies and take them over as soon as you can.

Has it been more than three weeks since an acquaintance’s funeral and you think it’s too late to send a sympathy card to the family?? Send it anyway.? There is no time limit on comforting someone who is grieving.

Did you just find out that guy you see regularly and chat with casually on the golf course had surgery a month ago?? It’s not too late to send a get well card.

Did a niece’s award at school go unnoted?? Send an “I’m proud of you” card to her today.

Take a few minutes to think about what events in the lives of those around you you want to commemorate but thought it was too late – then act on them today.? Everyone likes to know they are are important to someone else.

When in doubt, do the positive. Can?t decide whether you should get all dressed up and go to that party? Don?t know if you should ?intrude? on a new neighbor with a homemade welcome cake? Worried that an old lady would find you rude for offering to help her with her grocery bags? Do the positive! Go to the party, bake the cake, help the old lady. A life of doing is better than one of regretting what you didn?t dare to do.

This morning we looked some tips of what you can do to help your house sell.  And there were some great ones.

As some of you know, we?ve been looking at houses for a long time, and even had our house on the market for a month.  We only had a couple of offers?and none of them were acceptable.

So, what do you do when you are running out of space, but can?t find something you like?

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Last weekend with the forecast predicting our first real heat wave of the year, I planned an icy surprise for my husband. One of his favorite summer refreshments is my mom’s citrus slush…and the past two summers, I’ve forgotten to make it until late summer. Used to be something I always kept on hand, in fact, my father-in-law who farms around us, would stop by unannounced once or twice a week to visit what he termed, “The Slush Shop”.

This recipe takes a couple of days to freeze and serve, so as I taught my girls how to make it, we planned to keep it a secret from daddy…to save it for the best possible moment when he’d appreciate it the most. Our moment came on Monday afternoon. We’d all been working on building a chicken house, and between the dust of old boards (we’re recycling) and the hot sun, slush was just the ticket. And did it ever make my dh’s day…

Here’s the recipe for you. My mom and dad taught Bible studies in the home of the lady who sometimes served this after class. Everyone loved her slush. I know you will too!

Slush

Mix this simple syrup and allow to boil until clear. Let set until cool.

• 4 cups sugar
• 6 cups water

Combine the following ingredients, add to the syrup mixture, and freeze 18-24 hours.

• 5 bananas, mashed to a pulp
• 1 large (46 oz) can pineapple juice
• juice of 2 lemons (or the equivalent of Realemon)
• 1 small can frozen orange juice concentrate
• 3 cans (from orange juice) of water

About an hour, perhaps two, before you want to serve the slush, remove it from the freezer and mash it into a slush. If you have frozen it overnight, it will require more time to become slush. Add 4 quarts ginger ale or 7-Up. Mix well. Serves 40.

The above instructions assume you are serving it all at once to a crowd. We actually keep our slush in a 5 quart ice cream bucket, already “mashed” and dip out individual servings–much as you would make an ice cream float. The initial mashing part sometimes means letting it thaw a little on the counter…then I criss-cross it with one of my long sharp cutlery knives and use a potato masher or a Pampered Chef “Mix and Chop” to finish the job. This way, at serving time, you can scoop it out effortlessly, rather than hacking at a solid bowl full of slush. Another tip, freeze it in a large bowl and after mashing, transfer it into an ice cream bucket. It makes a little too much to fit into an ice cream bucket…so you might want to serve up that extra immediately!

While I was at it, I filled a bucket for my father-in-law. Wish you could come to my slush shop too!

Hubby?s and my love languages are very different.? And I?m no good at speaking his love language: Acts of Service.? A little brainstorming is in order:? How do I show love to my husband when I?m terrible at serving him?

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My thoughts are below.? What ideas can you give me?

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Food

The way to a man?s heart is through his stomach, right?? Maybe I should focus on having a hot meal prepared for him when he gets home from work.? This will take some creativity since I generally pick him up from work.? It?ll have to be something I can cook quickly or that reheats well.

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Cleanliness

Staying current on housework, providing a calm, organized environment for him will not only show him love, but will help me feel more collected.? Any tips on getting and staying organized with space?? I?m no good at the ?a place for everything and everything in its place? principle.

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Sacrificial Giving

I can?t stand tattoos.? I don?t think there?s anything wrong with them, they?re just not very attractive.? But hubby wants a tattoo so badly.? For Christmas, I got him a gift card to a tattoo parlor.? This is one example, but I can?t think of any other bits of sacrificial giving, can anyone help me?

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This is about as much as I can think of when it comes to serving my husband, but I know there has to be more to it.? Any other ideas when it comes to service?? Thanks, everyone!