Many chances for mitzvahs this week

I received a donation request from a local non profit and the front of the card had this quote:

“No act of kindness, no matter how small is ever wasted.” Aesop – The Lion and the Mouse

So don’t forget to do the little things. They are just as important as the big things you can do to improve this world.

770) I want to start with a story from today. Today at lunch, I attended a luncheon event for a local non- profit. My friend is working there and had invited me as her guest. The luncheon was awesome and I donated to the charity. At the end, my friend told me to take a couple of the center pieces floral arrangements home. I was walking back to my car when a young canvasser approached me to tell me about her non profit – An international children’s relief organization. I stopped and listened and chatted with her for several minutes. In the end I decided not to donate to her organization since I had just donated at the luncheon. I am often not sure what to do in these situations because I can only imagine how hard it is to do any kind of soliciting on the street for an organization. I figure it’s a mitzvah just to be polite and not obnoxious to these folks. Anyway, after I walked away I turned back and asked her if she wanted to take one of the center piece bouquets I had just received for her office. She was thrilled and so were her two young business associates.

771) Referred a colleague to a local photographer that we have worked with who does amazing work.

772) Sent a client the name of a book that I thought would be very helpful to her right now.

773) Turned a class into a last minute fundraiser for Dress For Success. We raised $75.

774) Volunteered for a fall event at school.

775) Volunteered to get the coffee that was left behind for our event.

776) Volunteered to help in my son’s classroom.

777) Attended a meeting to arrange for our programming for our networking group.

Finally, I know that it’s hard to count mitzvahs for your kids or spouse generally. But yesterday, after I had finished my volunteering at school, my son remembered that he had forgotten to take a snack with him that morning. I didn’t have anything to give him so I went to the store nearby and came back with a snack for him. He said later that evening, that he had been thinking after I left the school that when I picked him up he would say “Thanks mom” like he was annoyed that I hadn’t done anything about his snack, but actually he ended up saying “Thanks mom” like I really appreciated that you did that for me. So even though I am not counting it as a mitzvah per say I guess sometimes as a mom we just do that extra thing for our kids.

This weeks Mitzvahs

Friday afternoon, a couple of recaps for the week…

Had a discussion with my daughter about the blood drive mitzvah. She’s nine. She said, “Mommy there are like 1000 other mitzvahs you can do, so you don’t have to do one that makes you uncomfortable.” Phew, I guess I am not going to volunteer for that mitzvah.

216) Received a wonderful comment on the previous post about a mitzvah I didn’t even realize I had done. A friend and previous teacher was telling me about her new business venture, I suggested she called a woman I knew who I thought would be interested in her idea. She did and the woman was very receptive. My friend was very grateful for the referral I had given. I was grateful she took the time to let me know. It made my day.
217) I was just elected the next PTO Vice President for our school. This is going to be a big job. I am very excited for my new volunteer position and today had my first meeting with some of the representatives to begin some of my fundraising duties next year.

218) Visited with the Rabbi and Rebbetzin.

219) Called a friend to check on how she was doing.

220) Helped a stranger at the farm stand.

221) Carried my bags into a retail store instead of using theirs, my daughter and I discussed that I should put a sticker on the bag each time I reuse it to track how many times that is. I am so happy that she is learning to reduce, reuse and recycle. I think that is a mitzvah somehow.