A Lesson from MJ about Being Yourself

If you've ever spent time with a curious toddler, you'll know that they are in the prime stage of exploring and trying new things.  One of the things that our 16 month old MJ loves doing these days is trying to fit random toys into each other.  For example, today she took a toy dental mouth mirror and tried fitting it into a toy gas bottle meant to fill one of T-Hawk's racing cars.

  







I watched her yesterday, utterly frustrated, desperately trying to squeeze a screwdriver into a wrench.  Immediately the thought hit me:  we could learn a lot from watching little ones as they explore.








Some things just won't fit the way we'd like them to because it's being used for a purpose it wasn't created for.

At church, we're doing a series on spiritual gifts.  Yesterday our pastor talked about the fact that sometimes we look at other people's gifts (God-given abilities), and we put them up on a PEDESTAL compared to our own.  It's hard not to do that when we see society valuing certain gifts by attaching monetary value to them (such as leadership or teaching) over other gifts (such as generosity or encouragement).

So whether we're gifted in certain areas or not, we go after the ones we view as more desirable.  You've probably seen it at one time or another...  The tone-deaf musician.  The unorganized administrator.  The passionless teacher.  Most of the time, they're miserable and everyone around them is miserable.  It's not who they've been created to be.

What are the gifts inside of you that you haven't given voice to yet?  Think there may be an artist in you?  Take a painting class!  Have you always been drawn to babies?  Sign up to hold babies at your local hospital or church.  Whether you are gifted in areas that society values or not, you can be sure that you'll be doing yourself and all around you a favour if you operate more in those giftings.  If you're a dental mouth mirror, you're better off in the dentist's hands helping him see inside a mouth rather than poking a gas bottle.

Just ask MJ.  No matter how hard she pushes, it just won't fit....and the tears and frustration aren't really worth it.

OLIM Presents... My Birthday - Part 2!!

What a day!  What a day!  What a day!!  I'm still so full to the brim of sheer and utter joy that I received during one of the best birthdays (if not THE best) I've ever had!!  (Read my LAST BLOG POST to find out the plan!!)

Below is the list of the acts of kindness (some random, some planned!) that we with some friends here and friends across the country (who I felt were here in spirit!) did on Saturday.  I myself didn't quite make it to 33 but am SO thankful for all of you who contributed to help me reach beyond the goal of 33!! :)

Highlight of the Day?  I think my favourite part of the day was having my eyes opened to the HUMANITY of people who 99% of the time, I don't even notice are there.  These strangers became a "friend" - even just for a moment.  Oh that and all the variety of FACES we got throughout the day...  Keep reading to find out what I'm talking about.

The Dinner at Alice Fazooli's after the day!

 

Special shout out goes to my dear friend BOS who spent the ENTIRE DAY with me doing RAOK's.  You're some kind of friend Bos.

We cool like dat.  (And T-Hawk is wondering "Wassup wit dem??")

Some have asked why I'm sharing these in such a public way?  I think that for many reasons, there's something really great (and even important) about doing acts of kindness in secret.  But in this case, I decided to share.  I realized I would never have known about this idea if Robyn hadn't blogged her 38 random acts of kindness she did for her 38th birthday.  I read it and became totally inspired.  So my prayer is that you may find a little inspiration here too....  Guaranteed you'll have a blast!

So here they are!!  In no particular order. 

1. We paid for the tab of the Starbucks person behind us a couple times throughout the day.  The first one of these was cool. Bos paid for the tab of the woman behind her.  She was obviously a very well-dressed, well-put-together woman of means.  Bos thought she’d just act as though it were no biggie.  It’s not like she couldn’t afford it.  When the woman told the cashier he’d made a mistake, and Bos told her it was on her and why, she melted.  She burst into a big smile and gave Bos a huge hug.  It was such a MOMENT!!!  Our little “revelation” after this…  People of means probably don’t get shown this kind of kindness much because they don't "need" it. But we'd argue that EVERYONE needs it...and perhaps being shown generosity will inspire generosity in them even more??
   
   
   
   
2. Held the door open for someone rushing to get in.
   
3. We smiled….a lot. :)
   
4. Brought treats to the to the staff of a local nursing home.  I have much respect for these faithful workers who work "behind the scenes" without much (or any) credit.  I couldn't do what they do.
   
5. Brought snack bags to the local fire department.  They kept saying “No one has ever done this before” over and over.
   
6. Brought snack bags to the local police department.  The officer who talked to us had just gotten off of a frustrating call.  It was cool to see a complete change in her face. 
7. Left 50 cents in a couple of phone booths with a “You’ve been hit by a Random Act of
   Kindness” note. 
   
8. Let a car merge in front of me.  (Yes, that totally counts!!)
   
   
9. Bought a gift card for a couple of ladies’ Walmart purchases and turned around and handed it to a woman in line behind me.
   
   
10. Bought a gift card for a family at Longo’s.  They didn’t speak English too well and were very stand-offish.  At first I didn’t think they were even going to accept.  Once I was able to help them understand there were “no strings attached”, again, they just beamed.  Complete transformation!!
    
    
11. Tucked happy notes in car doors in the parking lot outside our restaurant wishing people a happy Saturday filled with awesomeness!!
    
    
12. Bought a lottery ticket and gave it to the Square One security guys.  Told them to split it if they won!
    
    
13. Dropped off treats to the emergency staff at our local hospital.
    
    
14. Gave some Toy Story stickers to a boy outside of the hospital.
    
    
15. Brought treats to db’s music team.
    
    
16. Took brownies to the neighbors on either side of us.
    
    
17. The Bubble tea girl.   This one was one of my favourites.  db, Bos and I were walking in the parking lot of Square One when I realized I had forgotten to lock my van.  I ran back while they waited for me, and in the process of running back, I heard an adult woman say to her mom, “I could really go for a bubble tea.”  I turned around and gave her my spiel:  Hey there.  I couldn’t help overhearing you just now.  And it’s actually my 33^rd birthday today.”  She interjected excitedly, “I’m 33 too!!”  “Oh wow, cool!  So yeah, I decided to celebrate by doing something nice for every year I’ve lived so far.  (handed her some $)  So your bubble tea is on me!”  The look on her face – priceless.  db and Bos heard them still talking excitedly as they passed them.  They were laughing and said, “I know!  She got us too!!”  Awesome moment.
    
18. db gave a donation for a Tweety Bird balloon from a man raising $ for missions.
    
    
19. I figured I’d find a little girl or boy to give Tweety too.  We were in the food court when a 20-something year old girl approached us saying, “Okay, so where is everyone getting the Tweety Bird balloons from??”  “What?  You like Tweety?” I asked.  “I LOVE Tweety!!”  “Oh well, that’s so perfect!!  Because….”
    
20. Another highlight:  While at Longo’s, I bought 2 little plants ($2.50 each – small but cute!)  I forgot them at the till.  The older lady cashier came running after me saying, “You forgot these!  I was thinking that maybe you had left them for me!!”  Ha!  Ha!  Guess what happened next?  (I got a hug.)
    
    
21. Got chatting with the young girl at Staples who helped me copy my “happy notes”.  Turns out she’s from New Zealand and “very new” here.  Gave her a snack bag and said, “Welcome to Canada!”
    
    
22. We gave crazy tips to both lunch and dinner waiters.
    
    
23.  Bos donated blood.  Potentially saved a life - pretty kind indeed!! 
    
    
24. Bos also cleared trays of those who were finished their meals in the food court.  She said they kept asking “WHY?” and acting as if she’d just handed them a hundred bucks! 
    
    
    
    
25. Shane and Colette ran after people outside Walmart, offering to put their carts away when they had unloaded their stuff into their cars!!
    
    
26. Christy tried giving the other flower pot to an elderly woman who refused it.  (Guess she doesn’t like flowers?)  So db asked, “Well how about a free hug?”  That she accepted!!  Chris then gave the flowers to an elderly gentleman waiting for the bus.  He was super cute!
    
    
27.   She also did the Starbucks and Walmart gift card “pranks”.  So fun!!
    
    
28. We gave a gift card to the movies to a family waiting in line. 
    
    
29. Julia who was with us at the mall sat with some seniors and chatted it up with them while they waited for their bus.
    
    
30. Jill in Pickering donated to the daily lunch program at her grocery store.
    
    
31. Kelly in Halifax dropped off coffee to striking Metro Transit workers on a cold Halifax day.
    
    
32. Ryan in Winnipeg said, “I recycled...I didn't honk my horn...I smiled at strangers...I bought someone coffee...”  For those who know Ryan, not honking was especially a really special RAOK!  Haha!  Thanks Ry!! :)
    
    
33. Janelle, her sister Kendra and daughter K from Saskatoon delivered brand new coloring books and crayons to our towns medi clinic. They delivered muffins to our towns RCMP.  AND they bought hot Timmy's coffee and handed them out around town to contractors who were working outside.
    
    
    
34. Heather in Mississauga couldn’t get out of the house but she let the neighbour kid and her son open every can of play-doh, make a huge mess of my kitchen, mix all the colours together and then she happily cleaned it all up for them!
    
    
35. Nicole in Aurora baked an unexpected birthday cake for a friend.
    
    
36. Mom in Chatham bought Tim Horton’s for the person behind her.
    
    
37. Grete and her little girl K helped us put “happy notes” on people’s cars.
    
    
    
38. Dad in Chatham bought lunch for a friend.
    
    
39. Grandma in Chatham baked treats for her Bridge Club.
    
    
40. Kerri in Winnipeg went all out!!  She made a VIDEO of her doing something a little sneaky (and VERY sweet!!)  Go HERE to check it out!!
    
41. Look what Marilyn in Winnipeg did!
    
    
42. And many others did secret RAOK’s!!!! 
    
    
    
    Finally, a gigantic THANK YOU to those of you who contributed and did an RAOK or 2 on Saturday... I am truly honoured!  I hope you were as blessed as I was and hey, let's keep going!  There are opportunities around us all the time if we just keep our eyes open to others.  As the great wise one once said, "A little consideration, a little thought for others, makes all the difference."  - Winnie the Pooh
    
    Believe it or not, next week (Feb. 13-19 is actually NATIONAL RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS WEEK!!  I don't make this stuff up!!)  The actual day is February 17....and if Wikipedia says it, it is so! :)
    
    

Our Love in Motion Presents... My Birthday, Random Acts of Kindness and YOU! :)

I couldn't be more excited about my birthday this year.  Is it a big one?  NOPE.  Just 33.  Kind of a boring number, isn't it?  So I decided to spice it up even more with totally UN-BORING birthday plans. 

See I got totally inspired when I read a random blog by a woman (Robyn) who celebrated her 38th birthday by doing 38 random acts of kindness.  She said it was her BEST BIRTHDAY EVER, and I can totally see why.  When you give, you receive so much in return.  Soooo guess what I'm doing?

That's right!  33 random acts of kindness (RAOK) for my 33rd birthday!!  This Saturday, db and I will head out first thing and begin.  Some examples of what we hope to do include buying the Tim Horton's for the person behind us in the drive-thru, buying lunch for some homeless people, taping quarters to the local laundromat and food vending machines, bringing treats to the staff who work at the local youth drop-in center, local fire and police departments, handing out free hot chocolate, buying a gift card for the grocery store I'm in and then handing it to the person behind me, and more...  I will have these and others planned out, but I'm hoping to just "keep our eyes open" and see what opportunities await us in the city! :)

Why am I telling you this?  Well I wanted to let you know that if you'd like to participate, I would LOVE for you to do a RAOK on my birthday (this Saturday, Feb 4), and then let me know what you did.  (Need ideas?  Go here.)

I will be collecting them and including them in a follow-up birthday blog at the end of it all - so as to hopefully inspire others to perhaps use their birthdays to do the same!  My goal is to have 100 RAOK's from friends and family (or friends I've yet to meet!)  Please also let me know if you would like to contribute financially (even just $5) to the RAOK's I will be doing on that day.  All proceeds to db's song "In Motion" between now and Sunday, Feb. 5th will go to this project!!  Click HERE to buy!!   

Whether you live near or far, I hope you feel inspired to participate and together we can put OURLOVEINMOTION.  :)  For those who may not know, OLIM is a movement Drew and I and a few friends created a couple years ago raising funds for Haiti just after the earthquake.  There have been a couple OLIM events since then (examples, one supporting people who live with AIDS, another for the Horn of Africa, etc.)  The whole idea of OLIM is looking OUTWARD beyond ourselves to make a difference in our world where we see need.  Each little drop creates an ocean. :)

Soooo.... Will YOU help fulfill my birthday wish AND make your world a brighter place by doing a RAOK on Saturday??  Be creative!  Do it with a friend or family member!  If you have kids, what a great way to teach them kindness!!

WHO'S WITH ME??  Can't wait to hear back!

xo

Breaking the Ice with a Spice Rack

Okay so yes...it's been a LOOOONG (unintentional) hiatus.  I've fallen off the blog-wagon...and I'm sorry!!  I really am!!  Allow me to explain.

First I blame forgefulness.

Then I blame busyness.

After that, came lazy-ness....and then more busyness.

But my big excuse for the last couple weeks is simply that I've felt this self-created pressure for the next blog to be BRILLIANT.  I mean, everyone's gonna be thinking, "Well she's had 4 months to write this one so it's gotta be GOOD", right?? 

I just got inspired by my friend's blog though (CHECK HER OUT- She's awesome!)...b/c it was short and sweet.  And I realized that this doesn't have to be some awe-inspiring, have-your-mind-blown kind of blog.  (After all, are ANY of them that?  Haha!  I doubt it.)

So this is just that.  Me breaking the ice, letting you know that there's lots going on in "This is Sara Brown"s world...and I'll be letting you all in shortly, but not tonight....because it's 1:30am and I need to go to bed!!! :)

In the meantime, this is a picture of a spice rack I'm selling.  Anyone in the GTA wanna buy it?  $10. ;)

From the Boy Who Rarely Says "I Love You"

When I was little girl, I was blessed to have a Dad who regularly told me he loved me...unconditionally.  We had this thing going where I would ask him why, and he'd almost always respond with "Because you're Sara."  Sweet.  Simple.  He loved me because I was me. 

Now Ty and I have this thing.  I kind of adopted it from my sister. 

I ask him, "Who loves you??"

He responds with "Mommy!!"

I say, "How much do I love you?"

He answers, "SO MUCH!!"

So just now he was eating his lunch when he looked at me and asked:


Ty:  How much do I love you?

Me:  You love me?

Ty:  Yeah, how much do I love you?

Me:  (arms wide open)  This much??

Ty:  Nope.  Bigger.

Me:  Really?  Bigger???  Aw, I love you too buddy!!  SO MUCH!!  Do I love you when you're a good boy?

Ty:  Yup.

Me:  Do I love you when you say, "Yes Mom!"

Ty:  Yup.

Me:  Do I love you when you pee on the floor?

Ty:  No.

Me:  Yes I do!!

Ty: (Big smile)  You do!

Me:  Do I love you when you disobey?

Ty:  NO.

Me:  Yes I do!!  I don't like it when you pee on the floor or when you disobey but I still love you...all the time!

Ty:  All the time?

Me:  Yup.

Ty:  Mommy (thoughtful pause) how come you love me?

Me:  Because you're my boy!  I love you because you're my Tyson Hawkins Brown.

Ty:  I love you SO much Mom.


I had to get this down.  See my #1 Love Language is Words of Affirmation.  Coming from my 3 year old who rarely says "I love you", it melted me.