I believe gifts are meant to be tokens of appreciation or recognition of the role someone plays in our life. We can’t dictate what the receiver does with our gift, though we can enjoy knowing we have given our time and thought into choosing a meaningful gift. Instead of waiting to see or hear how very much someone likes what we have given, we can remind ourselves that we are a giver. And the world loves givers!

It’s also important to remember that gifts can come from unexpected places and are not always things.

…
Read more

You know the feeling deep within. Someone just came to your door with a basket of warm cookies because they know you’re having a tough day. You narrowly escape your burning home while a firefighter goes back in to save your puppy. Or maybe it was a stranger who picked up all the spilled candy that your little darling scattered on the supermarket floor.

Sometimes we wish we had a word much stronger than “thanks” to convey our heartfelt appreciation. Perhaps by adding a sincere look or a tap on the arm, we can transfer our feelings of gratitude.

What else can we do to say thanks? I once gave a co-worker a post-it note with a word of thanks, and ten years later she told me it still could be seen on her refrigerator. Think back to a time when you really felt thanked for something you said or …
Read more

Why would a child be without mittens during an early and cold winter?  Maybe they don’t own a pair. Or perhaps they lost their mittens just like the “Three Little Kittens” in a favorite old book of mine.

Remembering the fun times when I was young reading this book about how three little kittens lost their mittens made me think about the kindergarten students where I volunteer.  What would they do if they lost their mittens or didn’t have any? Telling kids to put their hands in their pockets seems like sentencing them to no fun at recess.

Sharing the story about the three little kittens brought a lot of smiles.  And the best part was when kindergarteners turned into kittens with their new mittens!

Moral of story:  Buy some mittens and take them to a local school to have on hand when days are cold and mittens are lost.…
Read more

This rainy day in Kindergarten may have been the best day of the year. Who wants to go outside for recess when you have a cuddly someone to share your chair, and they give unlimited hugs!

Then when it’s time for you to go to lunch, they will stay seated and eagerly await your return.

May every child have a stuffed animal to love!

 …
Read more