R.A.C.K. Wrap Up

So Christmas has passed and I've finished my R.A.C.K. It was definitely a different experience than I'd originally planned, and I hope to be able to stick more closely to my preplanned R.A.C.K. activities in the future, but it was nonetheless meaningful to me. I spent the season caring for others' needs and doing what I could to brighten someone else's day. I gave compliments to strangers, had sweet conversations with passerby, gave gifts to those I could, left notes of gratitude and good tidings around for those serving me as well as people who randomly found them, and several other things just generally hoping to remind everyone that this season is truly about us loving each other, not getting so caught up in commercialized commitments and traditions that we actually forget what we were meant to focus on. It was a wonderful activity and I look forward to doing it every Christmas with my family!

Hope you all had a wonderful holiday! We've spent a great week with my family so far and are still enjoying the great quality time. It truly is a wonderful life. Tomorrow being New Year's Eve I'll be writing a post telling you my resolutions for 2014, where 2013 has brought me, and where the blog will be headed in the new year as well!

R.A.C.K. Update #2

Another week of R.A.C.K. has passed, and this week has been again family focused acts for me. We had a loss at the very beginning of this week, so I have spent most of my time trying to keep my sons out of everyone's hair but also trying to provide everyone with what they need. Since I'm southern, a lot of food was involved. A chicken pot pie, a cheesecake, some pasta salad... what can I say, when things get stressful and upsetting, I've been trained to cook. Other than fattening people up, there's been a lot of effort to comfort those around me in whatever way I could. Holding lipsticks, giving bear hugs, and generally being there for my family. It wasn't my original plan for R.A.C.K., however, apparently God had something else planned for me.

Today we leave Minnesota to make a drive down to Florida and spend some time with my family back home so I think my R.A.C.K.'s for the coming week will involve more strangers this week. Hoping all of you who are traveling like us this weekend make it to your destinations safe and sound, enjoy your weekend!

R.A.C.K. Update

Well, the first 12 days have passed and while I have had to change my original plans for the days' assignments, I've still done what I could to do a Random Act of (Christmas) Kindness each day. Due to a lot of things going on here in the personal life, my R.A.C.K.'s have been more family centered instead of stranger centered. I've cleaned the house we're staying in, shoveled walks, decorated for Christmas, baked cookies to raise spirits, brought groceries to family, cooked meals, done laundry, written a letter telling someone how much they have meant to my life and a few other things. I still plan on some of the bigger assignments I'd originally chosen, however due to personal constraints right now, the days are just being shuffled from the original schedule.

Hoping you're all having a wonderful and mindful December so far - enjoy your weekend! Here are a couple fun links for you, Happy Friday, all!

Kid President Shares Your 'Things We Should Say More Often'

A Basic Wine Guide

World War II Today

December 1st means R.A.C.K.!

Last year I read a few different blog posts via Pinterest about a great concept used to celebrate the Christmas season and Advent called R.A.C.K. - Random Acts of Christmas Kindness. It's really a simple concept with huge payoffs for everyone involved. Each day a random act of kindness is assigned and then you perform the tasks throughout the month up to and including Christmas day! Today I started mine and I'm excited to go through the month bringing smiles to peoples faces. 

I got a few packages of simple paper treat bags and numbered them (when we get home from our Thanksgiving trip next week I'll hang them as a kind of advent calendar). Each day I'll pull the task out of the bag and go forward getting it done! I think that this will be a great tradition for us to do every year to keep Christmas as a holiday of compassion and love instead of "wants" and commercialism. Throughout the month I'll post and share with you how my R.A.C.K. is going and I'll post pictures to share various activities as well. The first picture above is going with candy canes to be taped to ATM's around town, and below I've been working on Christmas cards to hand out to a local nursing home with some gifts and crafts we'll be making this week. 

Happy Monday, everyone. Enjoy your first week of December wherever you are!