It's true. The birth of Jesus, what we celebrate as Christmas, was no big thing. Conception shrouded in personal scandal, to backwater parents, in a busy little town preoccupied with a Roman census, marked by domesticated animals and a scruffy group of shepherds. No big thing.
But, like the smallest flame in total darkness, thoroughly transformative. From dark, to not dark.
If you have always wondered what the big thing was, or if you doubt that a little light could make that much difference, you are invited. Come with me on a journey, a search, for a little light in our shadowy night.
Let's make Advent together --- hope in a mean season, peace in a tumultuous time, joy in a desert place, love in a wounded world.
Monday, November 26, 2012
Friday, November 2, 2012
50 Ways to Celebrate!
Hello, friends! In this month of November, I will turn 50 years old. Now many of you may be asking, "What in the world can I do to make Leigh Anne's birthday memorable?!" Well, I'll tell you! For the 50 days leading up to the big day, I have been doing something small to help make the world around me a little better place, and I'm asking you to join me. The list that follows consists of 50 examples of acts of kindness, ways to invest in your community, from which you might want to choose one. When you have picked an act of kindness, and performed it, you can wish me a happy birthday by reporting on your kindness, either here on the blog or on my facebook page.
I'll have a great birthday month, and we'll all be better for it! If you're ready to roll up your sleeves, read on! And thanks in advance for helping me to make this birthday a really meaningful one!
50 Ways to Celebrate
1. Give blood.
2. Donate to your local food bank. $ go furthest, but peanut butter and tuna are welcome.
3. Donate to domestic violence shelter: working cell phones, black trash bags, bleach.
4. Donate household goods and clothes: ACHR allows eligible clients to shop free.
5. Pay at the drive-through for the next customer in line.
6. Offer to rake an elderly neighbor's yard.
7. Write a note to an old friend with whom you've been out of touch.
8. Tell a family member something you love about them.
9. Apologize sincerely for something you've done, or failed to do.
10. Celebrate someone else's good fortune.
11. Sit and mourn with a grieving person.
12. Thank someone for an uplifting tweet or facebook post.
13. Compliment someone on something other than appearance.
14. Write a letter or email to someone in public service, thanking him or her for their work on behalf of the community.
15. Walk somewhere instead of driving.
16. Listen to a child.
17. Listen to an elderly person, at their pace.
18. Drink water at a meal out, and donate the price of it.
19. Buy a $5 bunch of flowers. Give them to a stranger.
20. Sing a song out loud.
21. Drink a glass of clean, virtually-free tap water, then make a donation to a clean water organization, such as Watering Malawi or Living Waters for the World.
22. Spend 2 hours volunteering@ a school cleanup, assisted-living facility, library, food bak, or Big House.
23. Write a poem.
24. Unload the dishwasher when its not your turn.
25. Vacuum out someone's car for them.
26. Offer to take someone's empty grocery cart to the corral for them.
27. Donate pet food, bleach, or used bed and bath linens to the animal shelter.
28. Hug someone when they need it, even if you don't.
29. Forgive someone who has wronged you.
30. Gather up the change lying around your home, and donate it to a charity. Roll it first.
31. Fill the bird feeder...even if the squirrel will get some.
32. Invest in someone's dream: make a microloan on kiva.org.
33. Pet your cat or dog when you don't feel like it.
34. Return a gentle answer for rude words. Again.
35. Laugh at a bad joke. Someone else's.
36. Smile at a stranger.
37. Let someone else choose the restaurant or activity for the evening.
38. Step out of your comfort zone to make someone else comfortable.
39. Pray about something that does not personally affect you.
40. Sit in a new place @ church, school, or a gathering.
41. Forgive yourself. You can't reach for something better if you are holding tight to your failure.
42. Be open to a new idea or perspective.
43. Leave the laundry or emails. Treat yourself to a few minutes outside.
44. Let someone teach you something.
45. Take a moment to honor the memory of someone you love.
46. Leave an extra tip.
47. Cede control of the remote.
48. Write an encouraging note to someone training in your career field.
49. Carry a sack with you on your walk. Pick up trash along the way.
50. Post a 5th grade picture of yourself on facebook, to encourage a 5th grader you know.
I'll have a great birthday month, and we'll all be better for it! If you're ready to roll up your sleeves, read on! And thanks in advance for helping me to make this birthday a really meaningful one!
50 Ways to Celebrate
1. Give blood.
2. Donate to your local food bank. $ go furthest, but peanut butter and tuna are welcome.
3. Donate to domestic violence shelter: working cell phones, black trash bags, bleach.
4. Donate household goods and clothes: ACHR allows eligible clients to shop free.
5. Pay at the drive-through for the next customer in line.
6. Offer to rake an elderly neighbor's yard.
7. Write a note to an old friend with whom you've been out of touch.
8. Tell a family member something you love about them.
9. Apologize sincerely for something you've done, or failed to do.
10. Celebrate someone else's good fortune.
11. Sit and mourn with a grieving person.
12. Thank someone for an uplifting tweet or facebook post.
13. Compliment someone on something other than appearance.
14. Write a letter or email to someone in public service, thanking him or her for their work on behalf of the community.
15. Walk somewhere instead of driving.
16. Listen to a child.
17. Listen to an elderly person, at their pace.
18. Drink water at a meal out, and donate the price of it.
19. Buy a $5 bunch of flowers. Give them to a stranger.
20. Sing a song out loud.
21. Drink a glass of clean, virtually-free tap water, then make a donation to a clean water organization, such as Watering Malawi or Living Waters for the World.
22. Spend 2 hours volunteering@ a school cleanup, assisted-living facility, library, food bak, or Big House.
23. Write a poem.
24. Unload the dishwasher when its not your turn.
25. Vacuum out someone's car for them.
26. Offer to take someone's empty grocery cart to the corral for them.
27. Donate pet food, bleach, or used bed and bath linens to the animal shelter.
28. Hug someone when they need it, even if you don't.
29. Forgive someone who has wronged you.
30. Gather up the change lying around your home, and donate it to a charity. Roll it first.
31. Fill the bird feeder...even if the squirrel will get some.
32. Invest in someone's dream: make a microloan on kiva.org.
33. Pet your cat or dog when you don't feel like it.
34. Return a gentle answer for rude words. Again.
35. Laugh at a bad joke. Someone else's.
36. Smile at a stranger.
37. Let someone else choose the restaurant or activity for the evening.
38. Step out of your comfort zone to make someone else comfortable.
39. Pray about something that does not personally affect you.
40. Sit in a new place @ church, school, or a gathering.
41. Forgive yourself. You can't reach for something better if you are holding tight to your failure.
42. Be open to a new idea or perspective.
43. Leave the laundry or emails. Treat yourself to a few minutes outside.
44. Let someone teach you something.
45. Take a moment to honor the memory of someone you love.
46. Leave an extra tip.
47. Cede control of the remote.
48. Write an encouraging note to someone training in your career field.
49. Carry a sack with you on your walk. Pick up trash along the way.
50. Post a 5th grade picture of yourself on facebook, to encourage a 5th grader you know.
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