A Man Named Jeff

This morning I am remembering a man named Jeff who during his life was a tireless champion for social justice.  He cared so very much about people and their rights.  May we all care and work for true liberty and justice for everyone!

Social media kindness

Today is my birthday and I woke up to numerous kind wishes on facebook.  It is very likely that more will follow as the day goes on.  It's nice, but at the same time a bit odd.  Some of the remarks come from people I will not hear from again until my next birthday.  How nice it would be if we showed the same concern for each other every day - not just on social media too, but also in real life.

We need more kindness

I've quoted Ellen DeGeneres here before. What can I say? She inspires me! I was especially stirred when she said "If we're destroying our trees and destroying our environment and hurting animals and hurting one another and all that stuff, there's got to be a very powerful energy to fight that. I think we need more love in the world. We need more kindness, more compassion, more joy, more laughter. I definitely want to contribute to that."

The important I

The "I" before "miss you" and "love you" is important.  Think about it.

the fundraiser folks

I will never get over how kind total strangers can be.  Someone I know, who was living paycheck to paycheck, lost her job and was fearful that she and her dogs would become homeless.  I started an online fundraiser for her and folks just started chipping in.  I don't know how much we will raise, but we are off to a good start.  Most of the donors don't know her and some of them don't even know me!

Everybody

In the second paragraph of the Declaration of Independence, you'll find these words:  "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."  Now please note there is no asterisk. It doesn't say except for people of color or people with blue eyes or people who are gay or Jewish people or transgender or any other exception.  It says all, meaning everybody!

Be a true friend

True friends are always there for you.

Fake friends only show up when they want something from you.

Be a true friend!

rainbow

Try to be a rainbow in someone's cloud.

as simple as that

Be kind 

It's really just as simple as that!

About August

When I was little, August was my favorite month.  Not only was I out of school for the summer, but this is the month when my birthday occurs.  Since then I have met a number of folks with August birthdays, including a dear friend who will be celebrating today and another who celebrated the same day as me.  I don't know if this is still m favorite month, but it's certainly another chance to show kindness to everyone!