Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Pay It Forward

I've been feeling very lucky lately. Or maybe it's blessed.

I helped a little old lady in the grocery store a few weeks ago and since then good things have been happening to me. Two other little old ladies had cut in front of her while she ran to grab something she had forgotten, and she returned to find her cart pushed out of the way. Instead of making a scene she just stood there looking confused and panicked. I had seen the entire thing and even though we'd already been waiting in line a while I asked her if she would like to go ahead of us. She was so relieved and told us that she was worried she would miss her bus. When we were standing in our new places she came over to me, put her tiny weathered hand on mine and whispered in my ear that she always meets the good people when she goes out. "Even when I want to complain I don't, because I always meet the good people." It's funny how something so simple can have such a profound impact.

To thank all the good people out there I'm going to be giving away THREE card cases from my shop, your choice. You can keep it for yourself or give it to a friend. All you have to do is tell me something nice you've done to help someone lately. If you haven't done anything nice now's your chance, go out and make someones life better & then tell me about it. Three winners will be picked by me & Randy on April 1st. (No this isn't a joke!) Anyone can enter & you can only win once.

Make sure to include your favourite card case in your comment! http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=10892§ion_id=5050579

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

this is such a cute contest! I love hearing about nice things. I always try to PIF.

Today, I bought the man in front of me's coffee because he was in full military uniform. I told him it was on me and I appreciated what he was doing for the USA :) He thanked me and smiled. It felt nice.

Andddd.... my favorite card case is the apples!

Anonymous said...

A few days ago at a stop light my daughter saw a man holding a sign asking for help. She said look mom thats a bum. (Much to my shock.) I asked her who she heard say something like that. As a pulled throught the light I spoke to her about people and we shouldn't judge them and that maybe he is doing all he can right now. She after asking a few more questions. She asked me to go back and give him something to help. I told her all I didn't have any cash on me. She said she did, some of the money she was saving for toys. I explained to her that it was her choice and the she was giving up her toy for him. She said simply ok.

Casey is 7 and I think that she would love http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=22756078

I am very proud of my daughter.

Thanks for the great giveaway.

Karley said...

What a great story & contest! Today I was on the metro and a VERY pregnant lady got on. I had a seat but I wasn't near the door. NOBODY around her gave up their seat! I was so mad. I got up, went over to her & told her to go sit in my seat. She was so appreciative. The metro here is so shaky that she could have fallen over or hit her belly on a pole.

If I had to pick a favourite card case (it's hard!), it would be this cutey: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=22756078

Unknown said...

My daughter broke her arm a little more than a year ago in a fall at gymnastics. So many people were kind throughout her hospital stay (she needed surgery) and recovery. Sadly, one of her teammates was also injured on Monday. As soon as she was home, we stopped by with a couple of casseroles.
You may not be able to go through something for someone, but you can be there to do what you can to support them along the way.

Thanks for inviting us to share these stories!

My favorite is the Silhouette Polka Card Case.

TotusMel said...

I've got no story to share, but I wanted to say what a wonderful story & good luck with your giveaway!

Anonymous said...

What a lovely story! I just purchased your Courtney card case, but I saw your blog afterwards and wanted to tell you about the elderly woman I helped (also) in the grocery store. She was wheeling her cart along, about to hit a bottle of dressing that someone had left on the floor. I reached down and replaced it on the shelf, and she said, "You've done your good deed." I said, "For today, today only." She smiled. Made my heart feel good!

spazspun said...

i love your story, why does it seem that the grocery is one of the best places to do the "good deed"? last week, there was a woman waiting outside the store with her cart overfilled, and she was still there when i came out 20 minutes later. it was cold and windy, and i asked if she was waiting for someone to pick her up. she said that she was waiting on a cab. taxi's are not one of the major modes of transportation here, so i knew it would be expensive for her. i told her to come with me, and we loaded up my car with both our groceries, and i drove her across the river to her apartment. turns out, she's a single mom, food stamps and all that, and that cab ride would have cost her more than she really could have afforded. so, an extra 15 minutes of my time - totally worth it, as i've been a single mom as well, and know what it's like.

my fave is the peas in the pod, but i love anything you make, you know that don't ya?

your favorite oxymoron said...

I can't think of anything I have done lately (which makes me sad) but at Christmas time my boyfriend and I bought two Christmas trees. We gave one to a recently widowed woman and her children. Another friend gave lights and ornaments. My boyfriend had told me stories of years when he didn't have a tree and he was terribly disappointed. We didn't want that family to feel that… especially after their tragic loss.

Thank you for the reminder to always “pay it forward”. It is a great lesson!

P.S. I love everything in your shop!

Anonymous said...

My neighbor just asked us to feed her cats while she's on vacation, and I said, "Sure!" I would never let my neighbor's cats die of starvation!

I like all of your card cases.

Taina said...

I am such a fan of your stuff! And this blog entry made me smile! I love doing good things! I helped an elderly neighbor carry her huge shopping cart up all the stairs the other day and she was so shocked I offered to help.

I absolutely adore your Peas In A Pod cardcase. I'd use it all the time. It's super cute.

Anonymous said...

Leslie---I love your Christmas Tree story.