Coffee With Maddie




This past week was spring break for my two younger boys. We didn’t go anywhere or do anything special. We just stayed close to home and they spent time playing with their friends. Even though there were a number of sleepovers and kids eating meals at our house, it turned out to be a relaxing week. I spent time doing projects around the house and getting ready for my oldest son to come home for the weekend. He brought four of his friends with him to go to a concert in Minneapolis on Saturday night. There were five extra kids in our house! Guess what I spent a lot of time doing? I spent a lot of time feeding kids. And let me tell you something . . . they can eat a lot!!

As soon as I got everyone fed this morning and my son and his friends out the door, I headed to church. After the service I was on my way to go serve more food - this time in a much different capacity though. I had signed up with a number of others from the church to help prepare and serve a meal to homeless people. This was a first for me. We went to a church in south Minneapolis that opens its doors every Sunday afternoon to let these people come in and relax, watch a bit of television and have a good meal. We served between 80-100 people - mostly men.

This event was just one of many different activities I could have signed up for. Our church has developed an “Acts of Kindness” ministry that is based in part on principles taken from the book Conspiracy of Kindness, by Steve Sjogren. A line from a poem by Edgar Guest could sum up his ideas nicely, “I’d rather see a sermon than hear one any day.” According to Sjogren, acts of kindness can convince more people of the love of God than all the words in the world.

Some of the acts of kindness our church has adopted include: 1) Twice a year free oil changes are provided to single parents and senior citizens in our community. A local garage donates two of its bays for this and our church supplies the oil and the workers. 2) Supplying goodies (usually donuts, rolls, etc.) at least once a year to all our school teachers and administrators, as well as to our fire and police departments. It’s a way of saying “thanks” for all they do. 3) Making blankets for a nearby women’s shelter. Some women and children come to these shelters with only the clothes on their backs. Many of our women’s groups work on this project. 4) Collect and deliver food to the local food shelf. Times being what they are, the food shelf is always in need of donations. 5) Bagging groceries during the holidays. And many, many more . . .

These acts of kindness come with no strings attached. We’ve adopted the belief that small things done with great love can change the world. I hope so. I may never again see the men I served today or know who gets any of the blankets I’ve worked on. But, they might remember that someone was kind to them. Someone was kind and didn’t expect anything in return. That doesn’t happen nearly enough in our world.

Today was a very humbling day for me. I went from serving a group of guys at my home who never have to wonder where their next meal will come from, to serving a group of men who have to wonder that almost every day. And what did it take from me other than a few hours, a lot of smiles and whole lot of pride! Is there some kindness you can do today? Can you help someone in your community and not expect anything in return? The benefits are worth every effort!

Until next week . . . God bless you and yours! -Maddie

---

Coffee With Maddie: Archive;
Blessings
Magazine Junkie!
Maddie Goes to College
Changes
Let the season begin!
Getting Older!
I'm Getting Fat!
I Love a good book!
Family Games
Manners!
Someone to Love
A Special Anniversary
New Year Goals
My Spinal Tap!
The Book Store
I Salute Our Men in Uniform
Valentine's Day
My Birthday Choices
Current Events and Politics
Cabin Fever
We Can Choose the Words We Use
Let's Get Organized!
Support Our Troops

---

About the Author;
Maddie is a dear friend from the Midwest who will touch your heart with her gentle stories of home of family. You can just picture yourself at the kitchen table any early morning with Maddie, a fresh cup of coffee, maybe the smell of bacon in the air, and a log on the fire to take out the chill.

Talk to Maddie at ...
Maddie@boomerjournals.com