Acts of Kindness #34-36

Act #34 - My dad has worked for the Town of Bethel Highway Department in NY for the last 18 1/2 years...God that seems like a long time when put in writing!! In those 18 1/2 years my dad and the guys he works with have absolutely worked their asses off. I remember in the winter time having to get up at 2-3 a.m. because he got called into work. Ladd and I would pile into his truck, still half asleep and wearing our pajamas, drive to my grandparent's house and then climb back into bed over there so we could catch the bus in the morning. There were days when he would work 18-20 hour shifts while only working on 3 hours of sleep. My dad was and still is the hardest working man I've ever met. He was a single father who worked all day long (too long if you ask me), cut his own firewood to last an entire winter, usually helped every other person in town with their projects and still made sure we had a decent meal every single night. Through having friends on Facebook that still live in my dads area in NY, I have been able to see just how bad their weather has been so far this winter. Any time I see people talking about the snowy weather, I know my dad and his guys are out there trying to make the roads safe to travel on. So for all those people that complain about bad road conditions, just know there are guys that have been out since 2 a.m., working with a couple hours of sleep, who have had their time taken away from their families (holidays included), so that they can make sure you can make it to work, the grocery store or just to go get your hair did. Make sure you show your appreciation to these guys as well, they have a hard job!

During Christmas I ordered some cookies from Cheryl's Cookies and had them delivered to all of the guys at the "Town Barn" a.k.a. my dad's work. We get these delivered to us from some of our subcontractors and they are AWESOME! Dad said he got the package, which I sent to his attention, and he was all excited to take it home and break into them...until he realized they weren't just for him haha. I included a note that said "Thanks to all of you guys for your hard work during this winter season and for the time you spend away from your families". I hope they enjoyed them.

Act #35 - I saw a post on Facebook a friend of mine was tagged in that had a list of items that were needed to help a family during the Christmas holiday. It was an email that had the names of 5 kids along with some items that they would like for Christmas. I have come across organizations that help families like this, but this one struck me in a different way. A lot of times you see kids or adults that ask for video games, phones, laptops, etc., all really pricey things that really aren't necessities. This one was nothing like that at all. These kids were asking for pants, undershirts, sweaters, socks, shampoos, deodorant, fishing rods & lures, remote control cars...items that were either NEEDED or that involved being outdoors and I absolutely LOVED that fact. The parents had requested that nothing be purchase for themselves, they wanted to make sure that the kids were taken care of instead. There were a few people that responded with a couple of things they wanted to purchase off of the list, but as of only a week before Christmas there were a lot of things that were still needed. I couldn't stand the thought of these kids not having things to open, but I also couldn't afford to get everything by myself...so I recruited my company. I have to say that ARCO Design/Build has the most kind hearted bosses EVER! I emailed my one boss with the list and asked if we could do anything to help thinking he would say like $50-100, if anything. He replied back and said "Would $300 work?"...uh, yes sir!! So not only was I able to get everything else off the list (about 8 pair of jeans, packs of undershirts and socks, numerous sweaters, 2 remote control cars and more), I was able to go on a shopping spree without breaking my own bank lol. We were also able to give the parents a gift card to Longhorn's. They didn't ask for anything, but we felt they deserved to at least maybe have a date night out together. I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall when those kids opened their gifts.

Act #36 - I am always a sucker for whatever donation thing that Publix has going on. They usually have one that you can donate a couple of bucks to when you check out and they are always good organizations. This time it was for the Special Olympics and you could donate $1, $5, $10 or "other", so I went for $10...I would have loved to do $59, but it was right after Christmas and I am broke haha. I know a couple of people that are special needs or have children that are and I am all for anything to help give them the chance to have the same opportunities as the rest of us!