Bringing Joy to Others

This story warmed my heart and I had to capture it. Lil lady is nearing 7 months old (woo-hoo!!). She is a 13.3 lb bundle of joy, full of smiles, giggles and jabber-chatter. She's a little social butterfly! (I LOVE that peanut girl!!!)

During the day, our good friend and neighbor takes care of Lil Lady while we're working. On this particular day, she needed to deliver some of her Avon orders and took peanut along to an assisted living community.

When she walked in with Lil Lady, a man and his wife (new to the community) spotted her immediately and made their way over to her. As they approached, it was clear that he was crying. He proceeded to say, "Thank you, thank you for bringing her here today! God bless her." And he handed our friend a penny and said, "here's a penny for her piggy bank."

(I'm getting goosebumps as I type.)Our friend continued to say that more people came up to her, wanting to see Lil Lady than she had seen before. She saw many new faces. Some people approached with arms outstretched, wanting to hold Lil Lady. Others extended their finger for peanut to hold onto. Once she grabbed a hold of it, a clear shot of immediate joy spread through these men and women, mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers, grandmothers and grandfathers ... like lightening.

Peanut is very expressive and made her many faces. She has a smile that radiates, beaming throughout her whole body. She smiled, cooed, laughed and chatted with everyone. Loving each and every person, bringing joy and smiles to light up their day.

It was clear that she brought a great deal of joy to these men and women... maybe reminding them of their family, of being parents, bringing back memories, taking them back to a different time, or just bringing some joy to their day. Lil lady has this infectious effect on people - making them smile a little bigger, turning a serious expression to a happy one, etc.

I can't wait to share this story with my peanut girl someday. She did more that day in just being her loving little self that many people ever do. I'd like to think about what the men and women thought of her overall, how she made them feel, and how she impacted their day. I can't wait for her to go back again!!

It prompts me to ask, what have you done today to bring a little joy to someone's life? Sometimes just being yourself or doing the simpliest of things can brighten someone's day. I challenge myself, my family, friends and everyone out there to pay it forward. Have you done something nice today?