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By Daneen James  In the wake of the COVID 19 global crisis, we're more aware than ever, life can change in an instant. Suddenly, the life we knew has been suspended, indefinitely. What we planned, wanted and hoped to do must be deferred or at least altered. Yet, inherent in every crisis is opportunity. This crisis is no different.
Inevitably, during this time, most of us will likely take some time to reflect, assess and examine our lives. When you look closely, you'll see a crossroads. An opportunity to make decisions that can be a turning point in your life and our world. What will you do? How will you choose? After reading the stories below, you may think differently(https://www.marcandangel.com/2015/08/19/30-quick-stories-that-will-make-you-think-differently/). Life Lesson On his 27th birthday a young man wrote a suicide letter. He was ready to go through with it, when his girlfriend showed up at his apartment and told him she was pregnant. She saved his life. Suddenly he felt like he had something to live for. Today, that young man's pregnant girlfriend is his wife. They have been happily married for 19 years. And the baby, his daughter, now a 21-year-old college student, has two younger brothers. Every year on his birthday, the man re-reads his suicide letter as a reminder to be thankful – thankful he got a second chance at life. The Heart Goes On Nearly five years after her husband’s death, a woman receives an unexpected knock at her front door. It was a beautiful couple and their three kids. The man smiled and said, “Your husband was my heart donor. He saved my life. Not a single day has gone by that I don’t pray for him and think of you. Thank you! " From Where I Sit There was a group incoming freshman on a tour of their "soon to be" college campus. Amongst the group was a young man in a wheelchair. He was exceptionally friendly and never stopped smiling. His positive energy was absolutely contagious. The group learned after the tour that he had a scholarship to play basketball before a car accident left him paralyzed from the waist down. When asked about the accident, he responded, “It didn’t ruin my life, it just changed my circumstances. I’m happy to be here with you right now, with so many opportunities in front of me.” What matters most A woman rushed to the hospital after getting a call from her twin sister. After being in a coma for almost a year, her sister was still weak but surprisingly coherent. The siblings spent the entire night together, talking and laughing. The woman was elated to share the holiday season and enter the New Year with her sister back at her side. You'd never know a month before the accident, the twins got in a ridiculous argument and didn’t speak to each other for that entire month. Today, neither one of them can even remember what made them so angry. Joy from Pain During a conversation with his daughter, a 71-year-old dad talked about living and growing through adversity. He said, “It’s been my experience that most people aren’t truly happy until they’ve had many reasons to be sad. I believe it's because it takes all of those bad days and hardships to teach us how to truly appreciate what we have. It builds our resilience.” The Best You A woman recalls the relationship advise her grandfather gave her more than two decades ago, “Honestly, the moment I stopped trying to find the right woman, and started trying to become the right man, your grandmother walked up to me and said, ‘Hello.’” The Truth of Life While interviewing a terminally ill woman for a school project, a high student tentatively asked “What is it like to wake up every morning and know that you are dying?” “Well,” the woman replied, “What is it like to wake up every morning and pretend that you are not?” This life is not forever, every moment we get is a gift. God willing, though unprecedented and uncharted, this time will pass and fade into memory. In the meantime, there are lessons to be learned. Lessons of how to live and love differently, better. Reminders to pursue lives that reflect our purpose more fully. Lessons of how compassion feeds and elevates our spirit in such extraordinary ways. Here are a few ways to make space for the lessons of this time:
Get more on this and other topics: Book Daneen as a speaker: https://www.daneenjames.com/contact.html Sign up for her newsletter, get notified when Daneen’s latest book is available for purchase: https://www.daneenjames.com/contact.html Brighten someone's life with a card: https://www.daneenjames.com/shop.html Daneen James is an inspirational author, speaker and develops uplifting products and media through her company, SPARKSAFLAME. You might also enjoy: https://www.daneenjames.com/blog/in-the-light-of-hope
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By Daneen James  Kindness is a game changer. Be inspired by these stories about the life-changing impact of kindness (https://www.rd.com/true-stories/inspiring/kindness-strangers/). Then brighten someone's day with one of the 20 random acts of kindness, listed below, that take 2 minutes or less and don't cost a penny(https://www.rd.com/advice/relationships/free-random-acts-of-kindness/).
Supermarket Flowers When the supermarket clerk tallied up my groceries, I was short $12. I began to remove items from the bags, when another shopper handed me a $20 bill. “Please don’t put yourself out,” I told him. “Let me tell you a story,” he said. “My mother is in the hospital with cancer. I visit her every day and bring her flowers. I went this morning, and she got mad at me for spending my money on more flowers. She demanded that I do something else with that money. So, here, please accept this. It is my mother’s flowers.” – Leslie Wagner, Peel, Arkansas. Waiting in the Wings I'm a middle school teacher. After four weeks of recovering from the devasting loss of my first child. I walked into my empty classroom and turned on the lights. Glued to the wall were a hundred colored paper butterflies, each with a handwritten message on it from current and past students. All of them had encouraging messages: “Keep moving forward,” “Don’t give up on God,” and “Know that we love you.” It was exactly what I needed. – Jennifer Garcia-Esquivel, San Benito, Texas Lost and Found I forgot about the rules on liquids in carry-on luggage, so when I hit security at the airport, I had to give up all my painting supplies. When I returned a week later, an attendant greeted me at the baggage area with my paints. He'd kept them for me and he had looked up my return date and time in order to meet. – Marilyn Kinsella, Canmore, Canada. The Promise I saw a dress in a consignment shop that I knew my granddaughter would love. But money was tight, so I asked the store owner if she could hold it for me. “May I buy the dress for you?” asked another customer. “Thank you, but I can’t accept such a gracious gift,” I said. Then she told me why it was so important for her to help me. She’d been homeless for three years, she said, and had it not been for the kindness of strangers, she would not have been able to survive. “I’m no longer homeless, and my situation has improved,” she said. “I promised myself that I would repay the kindness so many had shown me.” She paid for the dress, and the only payment she would accept in return was a heartfelt hug. – Stacy Lee, Columbia, Maryland Actions Speak Louder Than Words Children were playing at the recreation area of an IKEA store when my five-year-old granddaughter motioned for a small boy to stop. She knelt down before him and retied his flopping shoelaces—she had only just learned to tie her own. No words were spoken, but after she finished, both smiled shyly, then turned to race off in different directions. – Sheela Mayes, Olla, Louisiana. A Healing Touch When my husband died unexpectedly, a coworker took me under her wing. Every week for an entire year, she would send me a card saying “Just Thinking of You” or “Hang in There.” She saved my life. – Jerilynn Collette, Burnsville, Minnesota It only takes a moment to make an impact. 20 random acts of kindness that take 2 minutes or less and don't cost a cent:
Inspired? Try some of your own. Get more on this and other topics: Book Daneen as a speaker: https://www.daneenjames.com/contact.html Connect and receive updates about Daneen's upcoming book: https://www.daneenjames.com/contact.html Brighten someone's life with a card: https://www.daneenjames.com/shop.html Daneen James is an inspirational author, speaker and develops uplifting products and media through her company, SPARKSAFLAME. |
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