We have been on the receiving end of some amazing acts of kindness in this past week. The generous giving of time, gentle words, and gifts coupled with the randomness of each occurence, reminds us that there are really “good” people out there.
To begin with, the facilitators and volunteers at the hospice where we get our counselling opened their doors to invite grieving youngsters in for a pajama party. The kids were fed, and entertained for three hours while the surviving parent got a night out to shop, have dinner, or just plain relax. I dropped YaYa off in his PJs, did a little Christmas shopping, and then went to dinner with BoBo and Cindy. When we picked YaYa up, we discovered that each of the kids had been given a handmade crib size quilt to keep. As if the night out wasn’t enough. It was pretty special.
On the following night, the Frieda C. Fox Family Foundation and the Jester and Pharley Smile Cart were at the hospice donating books and puppets to the kids. It was quite a production, as the mother of David Saltzman (who was the books’ the author and illustrator that died just prior to his 23rd birthday) autographed books for every one of the kids who were there for grief counseling. I was amazed at the kind words that this woman had for each and every child. Knowing what I now know about grieving, it is even more incredible knowing that she has and still is working through her own pain. To YaYa she wrote, “Don’t ever lose your jiggle.”
The kindness didn’t stop there. We also got to enjoy the Nutcracker Ballet free of charge. Apparently 100 tickets were donated to the district for under priveledged families. There were some left over and I was included on an email asking for anyone who could make the Thursday night show to respond. So tonight, YaYa, BoBo, Justine (BoBo’s gal), and I enjoyed lovely music and amazing ballet dancing. I think the girls enjoyed the show more than the boys but we all had a good time. YaYa had only one question. He asked me why the boy dancers forgot their pants. I didn’t quite know how to answer that one. Do you know why the male dancers wear nothing but tights?
More than seeing the ballet, I enjoyed spending time with my sons. So often our evenings are spent being stressed out over homework, meals, and messes. This week has been a good one for balancing the two worlds. It’s nice to get a little help via these random acts of kindness.