Birthday Surprise

It was the start of my senior year of high school, the year I had been eagerly anticipating since at least junior high. This year was going to be the best ever. I had so much to look forward to! That advanced biology class I’d been waiting my entire high school career to take, driving myself to school for the first time, my seventeenth birthday, senior pictures, prom, and of course experiencing all of it with my friends. The only down side was that I had had a falling out with my best friend of nearly nine years, Rebecca, earlier that summer. A series of petty arguments and silly rivalries lead to our demise as friends. Oh how I had looked forward to kicking back and enjoying our last school year together, unfortunately that would not be the case.

My seventeenth birthday was only a few days away and I wanted so badly for someone at school to notice. I wasn’t very popular, so I didn’t expect much.  The day of my birthday came and my few close friends wished me a happy birthday and my choir class even sang “Happy Birthday” to me, which was so kind. Really, the day had been all I hoped for.

Later that afternoon as I was walking to my car after my last class, I immediately saw that my car had been decorated with car-chalk and balloons for my birthday.  I turned to my two friends to thank them but they stopped me and said they had nothing to do it. It was then that I knew Rebecca had decorated my car.  No one had ever done anything like that for me before and it meant so much to me, especially coming from her. It is easy to be kind to those you like; it takes a really special person to be kind to someone you are in an argument with, or who has been mean to you.

Later that school year we made peace as friends, and we remain good friends to this day. And I will never forget her act of kindness that day.

Back to School Kindness Ideas

August is here! And that means school will soon be in session once again. Here are some kind ideas on how you can welcome the new school year:

• Send an encouraging note to your child’s teacher
• Purchase new school supplies for a student in need
• Volunteer to read to younger students
• Tutor a student
• Send a praise note to a parent about their child
• Host an afterschool study session at your house and serve snacks
• Thank the school principal, secretary, nurse, or custodian for the work they do everyday to make a difference
• Sit next to a lonely student in your cafeteria
• Befriend a new student at your school

“Kind Times” On Twitter!

In need of some inspiration? Random Acts of Kindness is now on Twitter sharing a new kind idea each day. Please visit twitter.com/kindness and start following today!

Our Sister Foundation

Our sister foundation, The Foundation for a Better Life, is offering a free set of posters promoting positive values featuring such figures as the Dalai Lama, Mother Teresa, Winston Churchill, and other “everyday” heroes plus a free DVD for teachers, youth group leaders and others.

For more information on The Foundation for a Better Life please visit values.com.

To request your free media kit featuring a set of posters and a DVD visit values.com/resource_center. 
FBL can send only one set of posters per request and there are no substitutions on the designs.

Other Information

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