Tag Archives: Valentine’s Day

Valentine-a-grams

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valentines day601) February 14th -Valentine’s Day 2008 – My 15th wedding anniversary. I invited my mother to join me to volunteer for a local event we have participated in before. It’s a fundraiser for Loaves and Fishes and on Valentine’s Day they need folks to help deliver their Valentine-A-Grams. In the past, I have taken my mom, my kids and some of my kids friends. It has been a tradition for many years. I was excited to go again this year. On the morning of the event my mom called to say she wasn’t feeling well and would not be able to join me. I was disappointed and feeling sorry for myself to have to volunteer alone on my anniversary. However, once I got in the car and turned on the radio and started enjoying the sunshine I began to have fun. Plus, I knew I was helping to make someone else’s Valentine’s Day special too.

602) My sweetie gave me a special gift this year for our anniversary. He donated money in my honor to a worthy charity. It was a wonderful treat to receive the note in the mail acknowledging that we have what we need and he thought this would be a great way to honor our anniversary. I agree.

603) A friend was looking for a personal trainer and I referred her to someone I thought she would like.

604) Gifted a friend with some products that I thought he might enjoy for some special needs he has.

605) Helped a woman at the grocery store who was in a wheelchair get some eggs she needed out of a difficult location for her.

606) Donated to the MDA Association at the check out stand at the supermarket. The checker gets credit for everyone she gets so she was thrilled when I wanted to do it without her even asking.

607) A mom and her fussy child were in line at the store behind us with only a few items, I offered for her to go first. She was relieved and grateful. If you have ever been to the store with your own fussy children you know what I mean. If we all weren’t in such a hurry maybe more people would do this.

608) Called a friend who wasn’t feeling well to see how she was doing.

Visiting a friend becomes a mitzvah

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Since my father passed away I have been making it my intention to attend synagogue as frequently as I can to say the mourners prayer. On Wednesdays, for the last several weeks I have attended a service about 20 minutes from my home in a neighborhood near our retired Rabbi and Rebbitzen. I decided my Wednesdays with the Rebbitzen were somewhat like the book “Tuesdays with Morrie” by Mitch Albom. They are both in their 80′s and are wonderful, insightful people. Over the years, the Rabbi and Rebbetzin have become our friends. I love Wednesdays. Anyway, I hadn’t mentioned my visits in my blog up until now because I was really visiting them because I wanted to and not because it was a mitzvah. Yesterday, when I visited I decided to tell the Rebbetzin about the blog and she was so excited. She wanted me to include our visits and use her name. She loved the connection with the Ziv Tzedakah organization.

Also, since I had assumed that she had been doing mitzvahs her whole life I was thrilled to hear one of her stories. She told me that once when she was in the hospital late at night she was hungry and there was nothing to eat. She made a decision that when someone was going to the hospital she would make them something to eat. I loved this story because not only is it a wonderful and kind thing she was doing, it showed me that sometimes until we have experienced something ourselves we are not aware that something we do can make a difference.

I feel that way when I think about my children being born and all the wonderful meals people made me as well as when my father died all of the cards that I received. After both of those experiences I knew first hand what doing that for someone else would feel like.

33) Anyway, I guess I will now count visiting with the Rebbetzin as a mitzvah.

34) Donated to the Epilepsy Foundation in honor of Kaitlyn Stewart and her wonderful efforts to raise money and awareness.

35) Gave the children’s teachers a small gift of appreciation on Valentine’s Day.