12 months of Christmas: Giveaway #3 prizes.....

They are one their way ladies!!!

Thanks for being patient.... It has been a rough week - haven't left the house much between ... you know... kids and illnesses.... and of course we DARE start a month without hitting the hospital!!! But, my daughter is home... and doing well...(but they tell me it WILL get ugly before it gets better.... so I'm just a waitin') and I'm exhausted as can be.... (why is it that the darn hospital just SUCKS the life out of ya!!??!! Well, it probably doesn't help that it's like having a newborn all over again... up ever 3 hours to give meds.... tiring I tell ya! )

ANYWAY!!!!

The Giveaway #3

"THE JUST~BECAUSE CARD" (There is always some sort of round-about point to my giveaways... LOL!)

Have you ever been somewhere where you witnessed someone doing something "unexpected" for someone else.... or, maybe even seeing someone that seems "sad" that needs a "CHEER UP"..... or, someone has really touched you with something that they said?.....

For instance...

I was in the grocery store, and more than once I noticed a young mom with 5 small children in tote.... She seemed a bit frazzled... Two of her children were "crying" - inconsolably, one was repeatedly nagging at mom for something and the other 2 were "taunting" each other.... Mom you could just see was at her very last wit's end... After seeing this little family on several isles and hearing the 2 crying children through the entire store... I ended up in line behind this mom and children in tote.... I'll admit, my nerves were just about SHOT from the crying children... and watching the oldest taunt her sibling was making my blood boil... but then... I remembered... "BEEN THERE.... DONE THAT... WILL PROBABLY DO AGAIN SOMETIME"... I witnessed this mom being so calm and patient - whether that really was the case or not - I'm not sure...

I hope that all of you have witnessed SOMEONE doing something GOOD for a complete stranger... or even a family member without being asked... Doesn't that just give you WARM FUZZIES!!!???!!!

This happens to me quite frequently... I'll be in church and someone has just given and AMAZING talk! It seems as if they were talking to just ME! It was exactly what I needed to hear... needed to feel.... needed to witness... and I need to let them know!

Anything like that EVER happen to you?

Well, that is when I am very grateful to have a "JUST BECAUSE" card in my purse, or in my car.... I mean really - if you think about it... if we were more consistent to acknowledge the GOOD that we witness, this world would be a much better place.... don't you agree?

Giveaway #3 ends the week of "Thankfulness" and I thought it would be great to send out some "JUST BECAUSE" cards! I keep a stack in my purse, my car and my church bag! So when I see a "opportunity" I can take it! Just like the young mom of 5 in the grocery store. I noticed that the kids were really wanting ice cream, but she kept telling them that they couldn't afford it "today"... There was a double blessing that day... as my groceries came up to less than what I had planned on... Sure the extra $10 would have bought a few more gallons of milk later that week - but I wasn't even thinking that.... I just quickly wrote a little note on the back of one of my "JUST BECAUSE" cards and asked the cashier if she happened to have a paperclip (which she did... and PRAYED I would be able to catch this lady in the parking lot...). I took 10 seconds and wrote a note to this mom just letting her know that I thought she was doing a great job with her children and that I wanted her to "treat" the kids when she felt that they deserved a "treat"... Prayer was answered... I caught up to her in the parking lot as she was loading her groceries and simply just handed her the little card and money and wished her a great day as I walked away. I don't know who she was - but just that little "note" I'm hoping helped her to be mindful that she is a great mom, even on hard days, and the people "notice" and I understood what a task it was to take 5 children grocery shopping...

One time I left a note on a car window as I watch a elderly man "CHASE" a cart that was about to broadside a parked car. I'm sure he thought nothing of it.... but I put a note on the windshield that said, "Thank you for stopping that runaway cart today... I'm 100% certain you made someone else's day a better day because of your kind gesture. Hope you have a spectacular day!" .... When I came out of the store, his car was still there so I decided it would be fun to just see what happened when he returned... It was pretty funny watching his facial expressions change from "irritation" (I'm sure because SOMEONE stuck something to his windshield and he had to get back out of his car to get it) ....to "smiles" as he glanced all around the parking lot as if he could figure it out... Just then, there was another runaway cart (it was a windy day)... But, guess what he did.... he watched someone else do the same thing that he did.... when that person entered the store, he then took the "JUST BECAUSE" note and put it on their windshield.... Kinda fun to watch the "pay it forward" card work!

I don't share these stories for a "PAT ON THE BACK" ... That is NOT it AT ALL!!!!

I just share them because I find that when I am LOOKING for the GOOD in others... I see a lot more GOOD being done... I find that when I'm "SEEING" the good, I FEEL better, I ENJOY my trials, I find that I am SEEING and FEELING more GOOD going on around me.... and I, like anyone else, find it nice to be acknowledged every now and again even for just the little, simple things... sometimes its a "SMILE", sometimes it's just a "HOW ARE YOU?", (and meaning it)... Sometimes it just NICE! SO.... each winner will be receiving a set of 6 different "JUST BECAUSE" cards... Feel free to add whatever you would like to them.... I hope that you can find ways to make them work for you!