Yesterday afternoon is a time that (I hope) will stick with our kids for a long long time. 13 kids (1st, 2nd and 3rd grade) boarded a party bus (a Groupon purchased for another reason that needed to be used!!!) to spread holiday cheer and make several stops for random acts of kindness.
We made a total of 8 stops.
1. HEB--leaving quarters on the gumball machines in the front of the store. Some of the kids gave the cards and quarters to kids standing in line. 75 cents attached to a note wishing them Merry Christmas and asking them to "pass along" the kindness. So fun!
2. Fire station--singing to the firemen and giving them cookies. The bonus??? Getting to crawl through the firetruck, a tour of the truck and its tools AND everyone getting a chance to hold and spray the foam hose! And a coloring book and pack of crayons for everyone as we were leaving. The firemen were wonderful and it was so much fun for the kids!!
3. Emeritus Assisted Living--singing carols to the residents, handing out cards and candy canes. We sang in the dining room for a group of residents and then went over to the "memory care" side of the facility to sing to them too. The kids were SO good and I know the residents really enjoyed it.
4. Kruger Middle School---stopping to hand out fruit snacks and cards to the kids who were at school late. The middle school kids were so nice and I know it brightened their day!
5. Roosevelt High School---I have to say that as we pulled in the parking lot I was a bit nervous. It's a rough school. But, there were a lot of students still outside (waiting for buses). We handed out fruit snacks and cards and those highschoolers were SO gracious and nice. Some of the highschool boys asked our boys what their names were. They thanked them by name and shook their hands. All the students were so appreciative and I heard several "this made my day!!"
6. Laundromat--handed out cards with 75 cents attached to people who were doing their laundry. Left some on stop of washers, dryers and the video games for people to find later!
7. McDonald's--walked inside singing Christmas carols and paid for 2 peoples meals who were waiting in line. The 2 people in line were so thankful and I know the people sitting inside eating enjoyed the singing! One man sitting close to me said "that's my favorite Christmas song!".
So...by the time we needed at McDonald's we had been going for 2 1/2 hours. We were all tired and hungry! The last stop was at EZ's so parents could pick up their kids. There were many special moments from the afternoon....but one of the most special was when the bus driver got very to leave. When we started the whole outing I was a bit skeptical about the driver. Young guy, kind of rough around the edges, drove a little too fast. But as the afternoon went on, you could tell he was enjoying it. He was even helping kids get safely across the parking lots at our last stops. So...Brenda offers him a tip and he says "No...I can't take it. You have reminded me that there is still kindness in the world. This has been the best afternoon. The kids singing songs has be so fun. I can't take your money." We went back and forth with him a few times and I told him to just take the money and then pass it forward. Such a wonderful way to end the whole outing. I hope that the Christmas cheer and kindness that our kids showed to others will be passed on and shared with someone else. And I hope that the kids see what a little bit of kindness can do for another person.
