We All Rise!
Sharing Pay It Forward Stories and Books to Give Away
It was a beautiful evening and my husband and I had gotten pretty fired up about the ability to venture outside for a car ride. After not only a long winter, but the shelter in place orders that remain in effect, the thought of rolling down the windows and seeing new scenery was enough to make me want to get out of my sweats and put on my “grown up clothes.” I even took it up a notch and applied mascara! (My husband probably thought he was now with someone ‘new’ – yet the baseball cap I was wearing to hide my expanding dark roots gave away my identity. Darn, it’s still me - sorry Dearest Husband John, I tried).
As much as I do love to cook, that day we both wanted to get pick up orders to support the survival of our local restaurants; so we ventured out on our date. After the restaurant employee walked out to our car window with our order, we gave him an extra tip. Nothing huge, as we are all trying to watch our pennies, but to him it truly was. The gratitude on his face and his huge smile made our outing worthwhile for sure!
Back at home, amidst the barrage of incoming email, I noticed this subject line in my inbox:
Thank You, I want to Pay it Forward.
A reader of my book reached out by email to say; “After reading your book, I want to pay it forward to others in this difficult time. I am sending you $500 in Target gift cards to give to anyone of your choosing to share hope and encouragement. I’d like to remain anonymous, please. Thank you for allowing me to help.“
What a wonderful message! The gift cards were received and I passed them on with joy, and in return, saw such gratitude by the receivers. The kindness then continued. Not long after that, another person bought 10 of my books and asked that I give them away to anyone of my choosing. I am awed by the spirit of giving and gratitude in such challenging times.
Now it’s your turn to both share as well as receive.
Please send me your experiences of random acts of kindness you have either given or received during these recent difficult times. The smallest acts such as receiving or dropping off groceries or allowing someone to go ahead of you in line or receiving an unexpected phone call or card in the mail from a friend or loved one.
The first 10 people to briefly share their experience with me via email, Facebook or otherwise will be sent a copy of my book, “Where the Hell Did I Park My Life?!” free to either keep or pass on to another.
Contact me through this link: https://www.kaariallen.com/contact-me
Or email me at: kaariallen@gmail.com
*Don’t forget to include your physical mailing address for book to be sent.
(You will not receive a solicitation of any kind).
Anxiously waiting to hear from you and share in your stories of hope,
With gratefulness for you, Kaari