A few months ago, I shared my 40 Rays of Light campaign. If you missed it, you can read about spreading sunshine HERE.
What a fun and rewarding project it turned out to be. Aside from the delight in writing to so many cherished friends and family members, I loved hearing how each person chose to spread his/her sunshine.
If there’s anything I’ve learned over the last few months, it’s the importance of expressing love and gratitude. When people pour into you, anything is possible. Even more uplifting is discovering the tapestry of beauty that surrounds us–in nature, in human actions, in generous children, and thoughtful teachers.
Recently, I’ve seen lots of grumbling about politics on Facebook and other social sites. So, I figured I’d balance all the negativity out there with some positive vibes. I’m sharing some of the responses I received from friends who participated in my 40 Rays of Sunshine request. These are just a few examples of the ripple effect of human kindness.
Operation: Spread Sunshine
- One beautiful friend and her 5 year old daughter drove around her local college on a rainy, spring day and offered umbrellas to students who were walking on campus without rain gear.
- “I wrote a letter to a friend who now lives in Paris, who helped me so much when I had my daughter in not feeling like “the only one” to feel the way I felt after the first child. I also wrote a card to a friend who is struggling on her own on a lot of fronts but that always has a positive attitude and a word of wisdom for me too, letting her know of how grateful I am to have her as a friend and letting her know how she helps me grow.”
- “40 Rays contribution: left a love note and flowers for a 90+year old lady from my old church. Haven’t seen her in forever so I thought I’d find her home and leave her flowers. “
I love this girl’s heart!
- “As part of a birthday wish for “Operation: Spread Sunshine” I started a comedic sports blog about the trials and tribulations of being a Cleveland fan to make people laugh. ” She’s seriously funny and you can check it out HERE! Love a woman’s perspective on sports!
- “I spread my sunshine with a former student. Very fun!”
- “My little extra sunshine entailed reaching out to five friends who I don’t talk with often which ended up being fun. I also sent my mother a letter via snail mail – she’ll like that. I didn’t save the world, but in your honor tried to add one more ray of sunshine to others near and dear.”
- “I sent some ‘sunshine’ to my cousin, Kim, and her husband Paul who is dealing with some cancer issues right now. What a great idea!”
- A friend near to my heart came up with these FANTASTIC tees and is continuing the kindness wave by passing them out to her friends. I snapped up a few for my friends as well because I LOVE THIS IDEA!!! Yay KIM!!! ; )
Let it SHINE!
It’s never too late to do something amazing! : ) Go ahead, grab some paper and write an encouraging note to a friend, neighbor, cousin, teacher, bus driver, or service person. Take the time to spread your sunshine.
