Talk About Giving

If you grew up in the South, or if you have a Southern grandmother or friend, you might have received a sercy at some point in your life. Sercies can be better than birthday presents. More exciting than Christmas. Because a sercy is a special treat for no reason at all. It’s just a little present or act of kindness just because. Like a special trip to the park, a bag of your favorite candy or dessert, a little something that they saw and just knew you would love, a warm deed just for you.

“Those best parts of a good life: little, nameless, unremembered acts
of kindness and love.” –William Wordsworth

This week is Random Acts of Kindness® Week and in thinking about that – a random act of kindness – sercies came to mind: Small intentional actions designed to make a difference in the life of another. The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation® is spearheading this movement and has all sorts of great tips and advice on how you and your family can celebrate acts of kindness all week. The best part? It’s so easy to participate; sharing acts of kindness might just become part of your family’s everyday life. So why not organize a movement in your household! Select a random act of kindness for each day this week and see how your family feels at the end of the week!

Here are a few of our ideas for simple Random Acts of Kindness that will help you make someone’s day:

1. Take flowers to your local nursing home to decorate the common areas.
2. Take an elderly neighbor or friend for an outing to the movie theatre.
3. Treat the crossing guard at school to a cup of hot tea or chocolate.
4. Offer to take your busy neighbor’s dog for a walk.
5. Give your teacher a hug.
6. Send a long-distance relative a card, just to say hi and you’re thinking about them.
7. Bake homemade treats for your local fire or police departments, librarians, or staff at your place of worship.
8. Leave coins in the vending machine for the next person that comes along to enjoy a free drink or snack.
9. Visit a local animal rescue and spend some time loving on homeless animals.
10. Share gently used or new books with a local children’s shelter or hospital.

Have more ideas? We’d love to hear about how your family is celebrating Random Acts of Kindness Week!