The holidays are one of my favorite times of the year. You see, a few years ago as the holidays approached, I felt lost, and I was looking for a way to find joy again. I was looking for a way to change my attitude, and ultimately my life, and I came up with an idea. Attempting to find joy by giving it away, I decided to do one act of kindness each day from Thanksgiving until Christmas,. My life has unfolded in so many amazing ways since I started that journey of kindness, I am beyond grateful. It all started with an idea to share joy and I want to invite you to be a part of something special.
This holiday season, aside from the daily acts of kindness that I will be sharing, I am planning something even more exciting. In a world that is still healing from recent events, there's a clear need for us to tip the scales back towards love. It's important that we be the change that we wish to see in the world. I hope this year we can get together and show the world what the holiday season is supposed to be about; expressing gratitude and generosity.
This is the time of year when so many people work hard to buy gifts for the people they love. Sometimes we lose sight of the true meaning of the season, a celebration of the joy of life, through our various religions and customs. Almost every holiday event uses gifts as a means of sharing this joy and expressing gratitude for one another.
This year, I'd like to do something epic for strangers. I'd like to show the world that there is still plenty of love and generosity around. If you'll join me, we can spread this message of kindness and joy around the country (and maybe even the world). Because, isn't kindness contagious?
Perhaps you've read about sports stars and other wealthy folks doing some grand act of kindness for others around this time of year. Last year, there was a heartwarming story about an anonymous woman paying an entire store's layaway. If you're like me, you thought, "I'd love to do something like that, but I don't have enough. Maybe someday."
I've decided, for me, that someday is now. Often, layaways need to be paid by December 14th. This means we've got just a couple of weeks to band together to do something truly amazing for some unsuspecting families. Working together, we can light up the faces of so many moms, dads, husbands, wives, friends, and partners by giving them the gift of joy this holiday season.
There are three ways you can get involved:
1) Donate here to the fund that is being put together to pay off as many layaways as we can. Even if it's a couple of dollars, when we pool our resources, it will be epic. You can sign the card online in the comments section - with your name or anonymously. A link will be included on the card that's given when the balances are paid off at the store. Click here to contribute to #payawaylayaway
2) Go to the store of your choice and pay someone's total in person. A clerk should be more than happy to help you spread happiness this way. Once you've done so, please share social media with #payawaylayaway If you'd like to remain anonymous, I can share your story for you, just email payawaylayaway@gmail.com I'll spread the word of your story of giving.
3) Share this story across social media. Doing so will spark in others the spirit of getting involved in something that is based on good. Imagine how many people could experience joy: it will be truly magical!
This wish is simple, and it's a change you can affect with very little effort. Combining our generosity, love, and resources, the result will be astonishing. I will continue to post and update the success of the #payawaylayaway holiday campaign on my social media sites, and through various media outlets. When December 14th arrives...I hope many strangers will smile knowing that the world wanted to gift them the greatest gift of all...kindness for one another, and in turn, for ourselves, through their happiness. Because isn't that what the holidays are about?
Donate, share and #payawaylaway today!