29 Gifts: Spreading the Love

It’s the last day of my 29 Gifts project, and I have so many ideas I didn’t get to. I’m hoping that will keep up the momentum—I won’t be “required” to squeeze a gift in every day, but I do want to continue to be generous on a regular basis.

I’ve always wanted to pay someone’s bill at a drive-thru, but the opportunity just never came up. Of course, that’s probably because I avoid drive-thrus. One day, I’ll go out of my way to try that one! It sounds like a fun way to bring a little joy to someone’s day. I do have a Starbucks gift card around here somewhere, so I think I’ll set that aside for a fun gift soon.

My goal this week was to spread the love a little, and to involve the kids more. It is important to me that we raise children with giving hearts. They had fun baking cookies to share, but I did let them have a treat or two for themselves! This week, we’re also going to fill a grocery bag for the church food drive. Typically, I donate a lot of food through coupon deals. This time, though, I want to dig into what we have to show them what it means to give of yourself.

I didn’t want that to be part of this project, though, since it’s already something I do. The point was to step outside of my comfort zone, and find new ways to give.

Day 22: Today I give with joy.
Wednesday was Lorelai’s last day of school before Spring break. Her sisters start on Friday. So, as a special treat to Lorelai, I took her out to lunch. We enjoyed Chick-Fil-A together, then she played in the play area for a bit. This was nice because, while she’s with me almost all the time, we don’t usually do things together. She gets drug along to her sisters activities, carted around on errands & stuck with me while I work every day. But, it’s nice to remember to do something nice just for the littlest one now & then.

Day 23: Today I give in celebration.
My bff & I totally celebrate our friendiversary—by sheer fluke of the calendar, we happen to know the exact date we moved from acquaintance to friend. Before she arrived at our celebration on Friday, I picked up (okay, the hubby picked up) a You’re Awesome balloon. It was my request & payment, so it still totally counts, even though he ran the errand for me.

Day 24: Today I give in friendship.
I mentioned I wanted to spread out my gifts a bit more. I can’t go much farther than the package I mailed today. It’s filled with local goodies my dear friend can’t get in her area. I can’t wait until it finally reaches its destination!

Day 25: Today I give with love.
Today’s gift went to the hubby, again, but it’s something I want to work on more. We have vastly different tastes in food & drink, and as I am the primary grocery shopper & cook, he doesn’t get to enjoy his favorites very often So, while I was preparing dinner, I made some tea jut for him. I hate it, but he enjoyed the treat.

Day 26: Today I give with abandon.
This one is straight out of the 29 Gifts book—and something I’d always wanted to do. When I got to the grocery store, I saw several clearance bundles of flowers. I bought one, intending to give a few to each of my girls when I got home. Then, the guy next to me was buying a birthday cake for his wife, so I gave him one of the flowers to take home to her. I gave another to the overworked cashier, who was excited to have something fun at her station for the evening.

I had 3 left, so I was still able to give them to my kid. They quickly found vases, trimmed the flowers & removed leaves just like they see me do when I get flowers from the hubby. The flowers sit at their bedside, and each girl is so excited to have her own vase. It cost just $1.99, but brought joy to so many people that night!

Day 27: Today I give with abundance.
The girls & I baked cookies today, but as I’m trying to live a healthier life, I didn’t want the dozens of cookies lying around. We packaged a few for each of Brenia’s softball coaches, and she took them with her to practice. It was supposed to be a nice treat for them, but they ended up sharing with the girls. So, I guess my gift made several people smile today!

Day 28: Today I give with love.
I had an errand to run in my sister’s neck of the woods today, so I invited her to join us lunch. We took her some more of our cookies and paid for her meal. She then insisted on leaving the tip, but I still think it counts. It was a nice girls’ day and something I need to do more often. She’s off on Wednesdays, so I’m going to try to make a point to do things in her area on that specific day to see her more.

Day 29: Today I give with abundance.
I missed my chiropractor’s appointment on Tuesday—it just completely slipped my mind in the chaos of three kids home for spring break. They have me rescheduled for this afternoon, and I’m bringing a plate of cookies with me. It’s the last from our baking day, and don’t worry—I totally taste tested them to be sure they were still fresh!