Challenge Week 3

"The greatest reward is not what we receive for our labor, but what we become by it."

John Ruskin

It's been so neat to hear stories from many of you and it's encouraging to know that so many of us have the same goal in mind:  to bless others.  What's been really cool has been hearing my boys talk about ways to be kind to others.  Although it's a process, I feel we are getting better each week.

You still have until Sunday (Halloween) to finish week 2 challenges.  I'm going to post week 3 today for those of you that are planners, like me.   :)  Week 3 starts Oct 31 and goes through November 7.

Act 1

Cut and hand out/leave coupons at various stores.

This might sound silly to you but in this economy, many people are struggling financially.  You may not be a big couponer but there are a lot of people out there that provide food for their families only because they find ways to cut down on their grocery bill.  I want to encourage you to look for coupons and then share them with others.  You can easily purchase a Sunday newspaper for $2 and have an assortment of coupons just from that.  Some of you may receive coupons via email.  That's perfect.  Take your children to the grocery store or any store for that matter and make a game of it.  You can either hand them out (if you happen to be on a certain aisle and notice someone looking for an item you have a coupon for then hand it directly to them)  You can also just lay coupons down right on top of the food.  This is a great opportunity to talk to your children and explain to them that some people really struggle with providing food for their families.  You never know how a few coupons will bless someone!

The other day I decided to start this challenge.  I got a coupon from Bath & B*dy Works that basically allowed you to get a free full-size product with any $10 purchase.  I decided to print several of these off before I went to the store.  Once I got inside, I started walking around and handing them out.  One lady was so appreciative.  She went on to tell me that she was looking for a couple of birthday gifts but didn't have a lot of money to spend and that this was going to help her with that.  This lady looked "normal" and nothing about her appearance led me to believe she was struggling financially.  (the reason I point this out is that we often walk right past people and assume they are okay because they look okay)  I walked out of that store feeling so great that day and realized this is something so simple and inexpensive to do.

Act 2

Bag trash

This challenge actually came from my oldest son, H.  This summer while taking my boys to swim lessons, my son asked me if we could pick up the trash on the side of the road.  It never failed that he would ask me on our way to swim and I'd always tell him to remind me at a time we were not rushing to get somewhere.  I'm embarrassed to say that we never picked up trash and I let this opportunity pass without making it a priority.  Shame on me!!  When thinking about acts of kindness the other day, I knew this was one we needed to do.  For some reason it was important to him that the Earth be kept clean and he's right.......we all need to do our part.  So before it gets too cold, I wanted to find an afternoon/evening to bag some trash.  You could do this while on a walk around your neighborhood (just take some sacks with you) or you could drive to a specific area.  It's up to you!  At this time, talk to your children about littering and how we can respect the world we live in.