Archive | December, 2017

JAMIE’S BLOG – YEAR 7 – KINDNESS  DAY 365 :: a kind finale

31 Dec
{farewell 2017}

And here we are! The last day of 2017. The grand finale. The big hurrah… to a year of kindness.

There are so many words for kindness… I know because I looked them up:

And because I also just lived out an entire year pondering the power of kindness… Intentional acts of kindness to be exact. While I entered the year thinking I would be sprinkling kindness around the world in grand and amazing ways, what really happened was this — I found kindness in my own heart.

So much closer to home.

That always seems to be the way it goes with these promises. They open up areas inside of me I never knew existed. Never could have expected…and definitely didn’t plan on discovering. Even though they were there the entire time.

That’s the magic and the power of a purposeful promise. It’s always a game of setting an intention and then just showing up. Every single day. That’s all it takes. And then it will take you on the adventure of a lifetime (or at least a year!) full of twists and turns and surprise and delight until you end up sitting at your computer on the last day of the year realizing how perfect the entire year unfolded right before your very eyes.

Thank you, kindness. For letting me chase you this year, and then showing me you were right here all along, pulling at my heartstrings.

Thank you, kindness. For teaching me to look for you, starting inside myself and then spotting you inside the smiles, eyes, laughter, and love of others.

Most of all, thank you for teaching me to be more kind.

Tomorrow I announce a new promise for 2018… want to join me!?
Drumroll, please……

More tomorrow…

Lovemore,
Jamie

{thank you, kindness}
#lovemore

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JAMIE’S BLOG – YEAR 7 – KINDNESS  DAY 364 :: a kind way

30 Dec
{forgiveness}

So many lessons. One of my biggest from this year of Kindness, this year called 2017, is the big doozie. Forgiveness.

She has floated in an out of my life like a little butterfly. Popping up here and there, year after year, reminding me how to cultivate forgiveness. And this year, she popped up again.

Floating above me, calling to me, reminding me to practice the art of forgiveness. It is a kind lesson. Maybe the kindest of them all. For forgiveness floats in and out, back and forth and then always returns.

More tomorrow…

Lovemore,
Jamie

{forgive}
#lovemore

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JAMIE’S BLOG – YEAR 7 – KINDNESS  DAY 363 :: a kind lesson

29 Dec
{these two}

It’s been a year, 2017. Amidst it all two things have been constant: Pup and Brady.

Sometimes for comic relief, other times for adventure. One thing I am absolutely sure of… there is nothing kinder than the love of a dog and the wag of a tail to the rhythm of joy. Times that by two and you’ve got a pretty kind life.

If there is nothing else in this year to teach me the power of kindness, there are these two dogs. They are cuddled up on their dog bed right now, wrapped around each other and snuggled in for the night.

In this year of Kindness, they have taught me this: Lick it better and shake it off.

More tomorrow…

Lovemore,
Jamie

{shake it off}
#lovemore

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JAMIE’S BLOG – YEAR 7 – KINDNESS  DAY 362 :: a gentle year

28 Dec
{reflecting}

Ah, Kindness. You have been so, well, kind to me this year. As I reflect on these final days of 2017 I am aware of all the kindness and conflict and chaos that we have seen this year.

I am also aware that Chaos brings out the Kindness in us.

Chaos. Kindness. They may be opposite ends of the same coin. Parallels. Balances in the universe, quite possibly. But can we have one without the other?

I don’t know. If so, I prefer kindness.

As the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation says, “Kindness Starts with One.” And as this year has taught me that is true. Whether it is in our kind thoughts, deeds, dos and don’ts.

In fact, that might be the biggest lesson of all. Kindness begins with our thoughts. Thoughts become beliefs. We turn our beliefs into actions.

It’s all an act.
A kind one.

More tomorrow…

Lovemore,
Jamie

{start with one}
#lovemore

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JAMIE’S BLOG – YEAR 7 – KINDNESS  DAY 361 :: a kind year

27 Dec
{reflecting}

It’s beginning to look a lot like 2018… everywhere you go!

Before we get there, I’m beginning to reflect on 2017 – where the year has taken me, the path we have walked together … and how we got here.

What were your lessons from this year we call 2017?
I called it my Year of Kindness.  And it played out in ways I couldn’t imagine, as it always does with this promise work. I set a theme, I make a promise and I go into each year writing about it each and every day. Some days are way more exciting than others.

For instance, I never would have guessed a surprise pop-up wedding in the middle of Colorado would happen right in the middle of the year! Surprise. And, yet, it seemed so perfect — why didn’t I see it coming? I don’t know. (And how did we keep it a secret – long story!)  And yet, that is the magic of making these promises.

You never know what is going to happen. Until you try. And then, what transpires is always beyond my wildest dreams — and plans. They are even better than my own plans my own head could come up with — really.

And that is what makes this work so exciting. Sometimes you have to take the brain out of the equation and listen to your heart. And learning to do that is what one might call kindness.

More tomorrow…

Lovemore,
Jamie

{kindness of the heart}
#lovemore

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JAMIE’S BLOG – YEAR 7 – KINDNESS  DAY 360 :: the last jedi

26 Dec
{jedi traditions}

Tonight marks a beloved holiday tradition. One almost as big as Santa himself… Star Wars.

It’s still vacation around here and the holiday magic continues. Soon it will be 2018 and an entirely new year to welcome and celebrate with plans and wishes and surprises in store.

But tonight is reserved for the Jedi. The magic of storytelling. The smell of movie theatre popcorn. And, of course, the best part, family traditions.

How kind.
May the force be with you.

More tomorrow…

Lovemore,
Jamie

{the force}
#lovemore

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JAMIE’S BLOG – YEAR 7 – KINDNESS  DAY 359 :: merry christmas

25 Dec
{miracles}

Happy holidays. Merry Christmas. And good tidings.

Today, we awoke to a little Christmas miracle. A blanket of snow. It was pristine and beautiful — and a surprise! Which reminds me of the power of miracles.  

Last night at dinner we tracked Santa’s sleigh with an online App. We also discussed the weather and all wished to wake up to a white Christmas. We then watched Santa make stops in Bolivia and Costa Rice, Canada, the USA, and Mexico all on a phone held in our little hands while sitting at the dinner table (what a miracle!).

Then, this morning I awoke to Jaynane singing Christmas music from the living room and announcing, “It’s a White Christmas!”

I thought she was referring to the song. And, of course, the Christmas music wafting into our room. As I stumbled out into the living room in my pajamas she turned on the porch lights to show off the blanket of snow outside. It was a Christmas miracle – a snowclad world sparking outside.

We dreamt about it. We talked about it. And then we woke up to it. It may seem small but it was a magical way to greet the day. And it reminds me that Miracles can come in all forms.

Last I checked, Santa delivered 7,281,439,471 gifts around the world on this Christmas holiday. How kind of him. What a feat! A true miracle if you ask me.

Maybe the biggest miracle of all is remembering to believe.
In the power of loving each other.
Of being kind to those in our lives all year long.
And recognizing the magic in our everyday experiences.
Even when it’s just surprise snowflakes out the window.

That may be the kindest Christmas gift of all.

More tomorrow…

Lovemore,
Jamie

{miracles}
#lovemore

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JAMIE’S BLOG – YEAR 7 – KINDNESS  DAY 358 :: christmas kindness

24 Dec
{be}

Today I continue the month of Christmas Kindness!

We decked the halls tonight. Football. Sunday. Church. Family. Games. Elf on a Shelf. Christmas Eve dinner. Tracking Santa’s sleigh on an app. Calling family.

It all makes for a beautiful tradition. And the kindest moment of all was just being there.

Tonight, in church, the pastor spoke of the importance of “being” is the kindest gift of all. The biggest gift we can share. The most we can possibly give to those we love.

And I agree.
So, here’s to being.
Thank you for being here. May you have a very Merry Christmas and beautiful holiday traditions.

What could be more kind?

More tomorrow…

Lovemore,
Jamie

{being here}
#lovemore

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JAMIE’S BLOG – YEAR 7 – KINDNESS  DAY 357 :: christmas kindness

23 Dec
{counting}

Today I continue the month of Christmas Kindness!

Tonight I baked. Again.

This time it was a sweet cake recipe from my alkaline cookbook:

But the really sweet part was sharing the baking process with Justin.  And laughing in the kitchen while trying a new recipe. Who knows how it will turn out?

The best part is figuring it out together.
And sharing….that is what counts most.
How kind.

More tomorrow…

Lovemore,
Jamie

{share}
#lovemore

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JAMIE’S BLOG – YEAR 7 – KINDNESS  DAY 354 :: christmas kindness

22 Dec
{baking}

Today I continue the month of Christmas Kindness!

I baked tonight. Not the traditional Christmas assortment, more like the alkaline kind.

Chocolate Sweet Potato Brownies to be exact. I found the recipe on Chocolate Covered Katie. And I recommend it!  Sweet potato may sound weird, but they taste so good (and are good for you!).

Especially for someone like me who is trying to reduce the sugar in her life (again!) without losing the sweetness.

Afterall, sweetness is kind.

More tomorrow…

Lovemore,
Jamie

{bake}
#lovemore

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