Painting Paw

Today we went out for lunch to St. Louis Bread Co. and then headed to the Painting Paw to let the kids decorate an ornament for our Christmas tree.  I thought it could be fun to make one every year.  They are at the store waiting to be glazed right now, and we will pick them up in seven days.  I can’t wait to see the finished results!  They have their names and date on them.  Cody decorated a candy cane, Anna a polka-dot star, and Dylan picked a penguin. We thought about letting Abby do a handprint ornament, but she was so busy checking everything out and content with her sucker that we thought it might be best to focus on helping Dylan with his penguin.  They said they had so much fun, and the girl helping them was absolutely as sweet as can be which made the experience even more amazing!  It was a special time, and I will treasure these ornaments.  Afterwards, we went and picked out a bouquet of bright-colored flowers for my friend.  She is going through a difficult time right now.  Today is her birthday, so we surprised her at her house with the flowers and a card that said, “Hope you have a beautiful day.”

Speaking of birthdays and surprises, Anna asked me a few weeks ago when it was my 33rd birthday what I wanted to do. I thought about how that was how long Christ lived here on earth and how He came to serve. I told her that I thought it would be fun to do a random act of kindness each week this year. Some weeks more, but my goal was just to get us thinking about brightening someone else’s day and not focusing on ourselves. It has been a fun thing to do with the kids, and it doesn’t have to be big…maybe even letting someone go ahead of you in line. On my birthday, we went to our nearby Redbox, and the kids taped a note on the machine that read, “Have a movie and treat on us!  Merry Christmas!” We put a dollar for the movie in the card and taped a bag of popcorn to the back. It was fun to spy from the car and see who took it! I hope we can brighten someone’s day who may need it, even in a small way.