A Meaningful Gift Idea for a Milestone Birthday!

Photo by Florian Klauer on Unsplash

It’s not every day that you open up a letter and $80 comes falling out of it. But that’s exactly what happened to me this week. A friend of mine who is turning 80 this month is celebrating her milestone birthday in a most unique way. She mailed $80 dollars to 80 friends and asked us to find one to four people who would be grateful to receive the extra cash.

She further requested that we take our time and disburse the money when it feels right. And as a gift to her, we are to tell her about our giving experience on a self addressed postcard that she provided. How cool is that?

Here is a copy of my friend’s letter.

It’s so easy to become cynical in today’s world but if you look around there are kindnesses like this being extended all around us. Just today an anonymous person in my town’s community facebook page was asking for information on food pantries because she was falling on hard times. The response to her post was overwhelming. Everyone wanted to help and many reassured her that we all need help at some point in our lives.

Recently one of my kids was going through a tough time and decided to come home for a weekend and the next thing I know, all the others returned home to support their sibling. The outpouring of love and care that weekend will ALWAYS remain in my heart. I will never forget it. ❤️

There is not a material gift in the world that can leave the lasting impression of an expression of kindness, care and support. And that imprint remains with us whether we are the recipient or the giver. When it comes right down to it, all we really have is each other and everything else is fleeting.

Perhaps we can all consider how to emulate my friend’s extraordinary expression of kindness in our own lives. It could be a beautiful new habit for us all!