Monday, December 9, 2013

Memories of Kindness.

Last week, the world lost one of the kindest men ever born. I admit that most of what I know about Nelson Mandela is not is as much as some, but I have heard people speak about him that knew him personally. They all had so many good things to say about him. I don't even know what religion he professed, but to my mind he imbued all the characteristics of Christ. He loved his people and he let the world know that we are all his people.

Listening to the news casts and tributes about him have been very interesting. Seeing all people, Black, White, Asian, etc., showing the respect for Mr. Mandela and his life has been truly amazing. It would be a wonderful world if we were all as kind as he has been. His life seemed to mean forgiveness. It is a shame that he had to spend so much time in prison; by being able to contemplate life, he came to the kindness and forgiveness equation.

I found out years ago that if I could not forgive someone, it actually was harder on me than it was on them. So, I opt to forgive. This does not mean that I forget; I will not make the same mistake twice, if possible. I tend to avoid people who cause me pain. A person who betrays you will do it again, so why keep them in close proximity? There are so many kind people with integrity in this world that there is no reason to associate with bad or unethical people.

Saying that, I tend to believe and trust in people until they give me a reason not to. I love most people and if I do not, it does not have any bearing on race, politics, etc.. The things that matter the most for me are integrity, kindness, generosity. I decided early on to never lend money. It can cause so much heartburn. If I have the money, and someone needs it, I give it. I never expect it back. I found that if I loan money, I spend too much time worrying about if they are going to give it back. Not a very productive thing for a friendship either. I give and then I can have peace of mind just reminding myself, that it is my mission to help others in any way I can. I know of people who have done the same with me. The only thing that I tell them is to pay it forward to someone else in a tight spot.

I know you are probably thinking, "What does this have to do with being a Boomer?" As a Boomer, this was pretty much the foundation that I was raised with in the South. We helped each other as we were growing up, unlike some of the people now. I hesitate to dis the new generation, but I find a lot of fluff out there. Then, I go to church, and meet some of the most awesome kids, who are growing up as missionaries to the less fortunate. That is so wonderful.

What do you remember growing up. I would love it if you would share a comment or even write a post. This is going to be a very busy blog, I can tell. I am looking for a sponsor so that we can have chats with prizes and have fun being Boomers.

I am not doing this to make a huge amount of money, just enough to keep me afloat and be able to help those in need. Right now, I am making toboggans for our New York Mission trip in January. Our minister of music always takes a truck load of coats to NY along with young people to minister to the homeless and help out at a church there. They will be sleeping on the floor in the church for a week, helping out feeding the homeless and giving out things that are needed, like washcloths, soap, deodorant, shampoo, etc. We make bags out of the washcloths to put the items in.

Anytime chat on Twitter is Hashtag #BoomerMom - I haven't decided on a definite time to have a chat. If you have an idea, leave a comment or catch me on twitter at @barbaraduke or @Boomer-Mom.



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