Earth Hour

Well...Earth Hour is tomorrow night! I thought I would share this video about this amazing Global Movement that unites the whole world for one hour.


Let's all take part tomorrow night and join millions of people around the world as we unite and show what we can do when we all stand together.


Always remember the 3 C's in life...


Choice, Chance, Change


You must make the CHOICE, 
To take the CHANCE,
If you want anything in life to CHANGE.


http://www.karmatube.org/videos.php?id=3025

All Kids Should Be This Lucky...

I was lucky enough to be in a Kindergarten room a few weeks ago and be a part of one little boy's star of the week poster presentation. This neat little guy has autism and has some challenges that will be with him throughout his life. I thought I was going to have to help out with some of the reading (as his Mom had written it) but he had every word memorized and read it loud and clear and proud with a huge smile...this is what he read...

"My family believe I am a special boy (a gift) for them. My Mom tells me I am smart and handsome."

Two simple sentences....read from the heart of a little boy...it brought tears to my eyes.

All kids should be so lucky...I just thought I would share.

Yours In Kindness

Happy Family Day

A little poem for Family Day...enjoy every second with those that you love!!!!

Some have a daughter.

Some have a son.

Some have many cousins.

Some have none.

Some are very big.

Some are very small.

But it really doesn’t matter at all.

A family is a family

By blood, choice or heart.

A family is a family 

Whether near or apart.

A family is a family,

Whether a dozen or a pair.

Because a family is a family

When there’s love in the air.

A Day of Heart

I have recently read a quote that has rapidly become one of my favourites and I thought I would share...


"Don't change so people will like you.
Be yourself and the right people will love you."


Thanks to all of you who let me be exactly who I am. The journey to be comfortable in my own skin, to accept myself (flaws and all!) and love myself no matter what has seemed long at times, but I feel like I have arrived! It is all of you who help me to remember every day that who I am is exactly who I should be. I am forever grateful to each and every one of you. Thank you for your love and support and friendship...I am so blessed and I love you!


On this Valentines Day...this is my wish...


I wish for you all to see the light that is within you.
I wish for you all to look in the mirror and love what you see.
I wish for you all to look at others and accept them for who they are.
I wish for you all the gift of loving yourself unconditionally.
In short I wish for you...love...pass it on.


Happy Heart Day!

Music For Freedom 2012

It is coming!!! Music For Freedom 2012 with Chuck and Dave (and a few songs from me!). As a fun addition...the Glee @ Heart Choir (intergeneration choir) will open for Chuck and Dave this year!

Saturday April 14th at 7:00 PM

It will be at Lutherwood Children's Mental Health Centre

This year we are supporting both a local organization and a global one! They are Free the Children and Lutherwood Children's Mental Health Centre. They are both amazing organizations that we are so happy to be a part of!

I am so excited about the concert. It will be an amazing night of music and inspiration, a night of people coming together in song to help others. That sounds like the perfect night to me.

If you came last year...we hope you can come again! If you weren't able to come or didn't know about it then we hope you can come for the first time!

So...stay tuned for information about tickets and more details!!!

"Great music is that which penetrates the ear with facility and leaves the memory with difficulty. Magical music never leaves the memory."

Sir Thomas Beecham

Come and join us for music that you will always remember.

Before you speak...THINK...

Before you speak...
THINK


T     is it true?
H    is it helpful
I      is it inspiring?
N    is it necessary?
K    is it KIND?


So simple, yet so powerful. If only we could all do this every day.


It has been way too long between posts. Life gets so busy, so quickly and time seems to get away from me! I am really going to try to post on a more consistent basis. My brother has been telling me about the business model he follows and one of the things that he does is make 10 day goals, 10 month goals and 5 year goals. The trick is to not only set goals but to actually write them down. I think this is such a great idea so I have started to do just that! One of my 10 day goals is to pick a day of the week that I will always be sure to post on my blog. So I am going to put a post up every Monday night!


One of my 10 month goals is to get my webpage up and running. I have recently bought the domain www.yoursinkindness.com and have just put up a main page with a quote. My 10 month goal is to get it full of quotes, kindness ideas and challenges, links to videos and websites and much more. I will keep you posted on how it is going!


Live life. Love Life. Be Kind.

'Tis The Season

Tis the season for giving and right now my heart is overflowing with the kindness I see around me. So...I thought I would share!

1. At my school we have been filling back packs with supplies for families in need that will be sent to our local shelters. I put it out to my staff and was not surprised to see the overwhelming response to help! For the past 3 weeks we have been collecting and today was the day that we gathered everything together to load up and ship out. 

Walking in to the staffroom and seeing how our teachers, our community, our families had come together with such generosity brought tears to my eyes. There was a table of 40 backpacks barely able to be zipped shut as well as an equal number of bags for the "overflow". I feel so lucky to be a part of a staff and community who are so caring and kind. Such a simple thing.

2. Tonight I was volunteering at the Food Bank where I give tours and run an activity to groups of kids coming through to learn more. Tonight was a hockey team. 14 boys all about 9 years old and FULL of energy. My job tonight was to run the activity where we sort some food and make Food Hampers (a box of food that could get a family through 2-3 days). The boys were competitive and excited and loud. They completed the activity and did a great job. 

Then I do a wrap up and talk about who needs Food Hampers? How would you get one? How would you feel if you had to ask for help? If you had no money to buy food? The room goes silent. A few hands go up with answers like sad, bad, lonely and scared. Such simple answers but so exactly right on from these 9 year old boys. One boy said he might be scared to ask for help. A discussion started about needing help and asking for help and how that is truly a strong thing to be able to do that. I told them that everyone...every single person...will need to ask for help at some point in their lives and that we are surrounded by people who can help. One last boy put up his hand and quietly said "Kinda like I need help in Math sometimes?" A few boys laughed and I said, "It is like that...because now you can think about how you feel when you are embarrassed to ask for help in math when you think of people needing to ask for food." The laughter stopped. 

Even if just one of those boys goes away with a little more empathy then when he came in...my night was more than worth it.

3. And of course our school and its connection with the Retirement home next door is an on going sense of happiness for me. Glee @ Heart sang at the School Board Inaugural meeting this week. As always I can barely contain how proud I am and how touched I feel when watching and listening to this choir sing. I just feel like our connection is so special and I try to foster it whenever I can! 

We also have residents come to read to some of our primary classes once a month. Another experience I just LOVE to be a part of. Today was the day for December! The residents get such joy out of being around the kids and reading to them and talking with them. The kids get such an amazing opportunity to know the residents.  To learn about respect and understanding when the person reading can't show the pages because it is too tricky, or when they are hard to hear, or when the residents want to hold their hands. What child shouldn't be exposed to that kind of experience!?!

And again...talk about pride...even our Kindergartens can sit through 2 books read back to back in silence. Listening and being respectful. Smiling and giving hugs and high fives. It truly warms my heart.

4. And then there are the things that happen right in my own house...that are so small they might go unnoticed but when they are noticed they are a gift.

Today we were playing in the playroom in the morning and it was still dark. Laiklyn (2) went to try to turn on the light (one of those circle dimmer switches that you have to press in). She so wants to be able to reach it like Dayaa (3) can, and she is getting close, but her little finger tips just barely touch. She doesn't have the strength to push the button with just her finger tips. So here Laiklyn is, right up on her tip toes trying to make herself as tall as she can and trying with all her might. Getting frustrated and a little teary. And then Dayaa comes over to her says in the cutest little motivating, positive voice, "Laiklyn, what if I put my hand on the light and you can push my hand?" She reaches her little hand up and places it flat over the light switch. Laiklyn, up on her tip toes again, reaches up and as she grunts and pushes with her fingertips, Dayaa gives an imperceptible little push too. And TA DA!!! The light come on! Dayaa says "You did it Laiklyn!" Laiklyn's smile filled the room and the sight of my girls filled my heart!

I could go on forever...but you get the idea!!!