Last week’s 26 Tuesdays honoree was Emilie Parker. Emilie probably would have participated in 26 Acts of Kindness herself, had she not been one of the victims of this national tragedy. So, this week I concentrated on sending cards to various people who either deserved a little recognition for their great accomplishments or were going through something unusual in their lives that deserved some care and concern from me and my family.

The PH informed me, last week, that he has been doing an act of kindness each week and just has forgotten to let me know this. So, that dramatically raises our MIP Acts of Kindness count to 55! Woo-hoo! I would love to see this count get up to over 100 by the time we reach the last honoree.

This week we honor Jack Pinto. You may have already heard a little about Jack. Here is what CNN had to say about Jack to jog your memory:

Jack Pinto, 6

Jack was a first-grader, and his interests ran the gamut — baseball, basketball, wrestling, snow skiing. But his first love was football, and his idol was New York Giants star receiver Victor Cruz. Cruz paid tribute to the team’s young fan by scribbling “Jack Pinto. My Hero” on one of his cleats and “R.I.P. Jack Pinto” on the other during the team’s game with the Atlanta Falcons over the weekend. On his glove, Cruz wrote, “Jack Pinto. This one is 4 U!” Jack recently participated in his first wrestling match and won a medal, according to the president of the New Milford Wrestling Association. “In life and in death, Jack will forever be remembered for the immeasurable joy he brought to all who had the pleasure of knowing him, a joy whose wide reach belied his six short years,” Jack’s family wrote in an obituary for the little boy.

What did you do to honor Emilie? If you are a little behind in reporting your acts of kindness like the PH, that’s okay. Just submit the total below and I’d be happy to add yours to the total!

Tomorrow’s Post: You 3.0: Questions & Tips, Part II…

You might also like: 26 Tuesday: Emilie Parker, 26 Tuesday: Anne Marie Murphy, 26 Tuesday: Grace McDonnell, 26 Tuesday: James Mattioli, 26 Tuesday: Ana Marquez-Greene

Last Tuesday we honored Anne-Marie Murphy, one of the teachers at Sandy Hook, who unselfishly covered some of the children with her body to attempt to save their lives. How do you honor a hero? I certainly don’t consider myself a hero, so this was a tricky one for me. But, fortunately, a child and a teen came to my rescue. Ms. Murphy was described as artistic and hard-working and I can think of two young ladies in our church (among many others there) who are extremely artistic, talented and hard-working. One began working hard before she even entered school full-time, singing her way into my heart with her ginger locks and pretty blue eyes. She is now about to graduate high school and also plays a mean piano. While doing 9000 things at once well, she is also the piano and voice teacher for 6 young, aspiring young ladies who pretty much idolize her (They’ve picked an awesome role model!).

One of her young students is just audacious and equally as talented as her mentor when she was the same age. In fact her piano teacher would say she’s even more talented than she was at that age, which is really saying something. This past Sunday the PH and I decided to go and listen to this young lady’s first piano recital and hear her young teacher present her students in concert. Both were awe-inspiring, as well as her other 5 students. We hugged that audacious little lady afterwards and she beamed as we told her how much we loved her performance.

While it may have been a very small act of kindness, I think the point is that all of our youngest citizens need to be praised for all of their positive efforts, even if they are at the beginning stages of the learning curve. And I think Anne-Marie Murphy would have liked that we supported some young artists in this small way.

This puts our MIP Acts of Kindness at 35 to date.

Today we honor Miss Emilie Parker. Here is what CNN said about Emilie:

Emilie “was the type of person who could light up a room,” her father told reporters Saturday. His oldest daughter was “bright, creative and very loving,” and “always willing to try new things other than food,” Robbie Parker said. “Emilie Alice Parker was the sweetest little girl I’ve ever known,” her aunt, Jill Cottle Garrett, said. The family is devastated that “someone so beautiful and perfect is no longer going to be in our lives and for no reason,” Garrett said. “My daughter, Emilie, would be one of the first ones to be standing up and giving her love and support to all of those victims, because that is the type of person she is,” her father said. Emilie’s “laughter was infectious,” he said. “This world is a better place because she has been in it.” Emilie was a mentor to her two younger sisters — ages 3 and 4 — and “they looked to her when they needed comfort,” her father said.

What did you do to honor Ms. Murphy? Please let me know if you participated by submitting a comment below. Thanks!

Tomorrow’s Post: You 3.0: MIP Exercise Plan

You might also like: 26 Tuesday: Anne-Marie Murphy, 26 Tuesday: Grace McDonnell, 26 Tuesday: James Mattioli, 26 Tuesday: Ana Marquez-Greene

Last week’s honoree was Grace McDonnell. Grace loved cupcakes and thus, today I delivered some surprise cupcakes to some friends of mine that I haven’t seen in a long time. This makes our Acts of Kindness MIP count 34.

This week we honor one of Sandy Hook’s teachers. Here’s what CNN said about her:

Anne Marie Murphy, 52

As a reminder, I only share what I’ve been doing as acts of kindness to a) keep myself accountable and b) to encourage my readers to think in creative ways about how they can do acts of kindness for others. Honestly, it’s awkward to write about what I’m doing–I feel like I’m calling attention to what I’m doing and that’s not what an act of kindness is all about, really. But, I hope my awkwardness about it does somehow inspire you to do these acts just because all of us could use some kindness from time to time. And maybe the act of kindness we do will be enough to stop another tragedy sometime in the future.

James Mattioli, last week’s honoree, loved to eat. So, this week I used a gift card I had for a local restaurant to pay for the next person’s order (the person behind me). I left before I could see the reaction on the person’s face, but the person taking my payment smiled, so that made my day!

So, that leaves our total at 33 for right now. What did you do to honor James?

This week’s honoree is Grace McDonnell. Here is what CNN had to say about Grace:

Grace McDonnell, 7

Note: It is sad that, as we celebrate the lives of those lost at Sandy Hook Elementary, there are many more lives lost because of the tragedies in Boston and West. As we do acts of kindness for these victims, let us also do good in memory of those lost through these more recent events. And most of all, let us reach out to those who may be feeling left out or victimized by our society so that future tragedies like these stop happening. We must encourage better thinking!

Last week’s 26 Tuesdays honoree was Ana Marquez-Greene. Ana had a great voice and her brother played piano and her dad was a jazz musician. Music is a big part of our family life as well. So, this week I decided to make a contribution to one of my favorite schools and their jazz education program.

So, that puts our count at 30 so far. What did you do for your act of kindness this week? I hope to take our tally and submit it to the 26 acts FB page when we have featured all 26 victims here, so be sure to let me know that you participated.

Today’s honoree is James Mattioli. Here is what CNN had to say about James:

James Mattioli, 6

Last week’s 26 Tuesdays honoree was Jesse Lewis who loved math and horses. My niece also loves math. So much so that she is majoring in math in college. She also has a tremendous heart and has already ventured to Russia to help at the plethora of orphanages in that country. This year she is venturing to the Middle East in the  hopes of making connections between her culture and the Muslim student culture there. Honestly, it scares me some. Things are rather volatile in the Middle East on a good day! But, since she’s my niece and since she’s trying to bring some “love” to a culture that often doesn’t love us, I have to be a supportive aunt. Yes, a check went towards her travel expenses to make this trip possible in memory of Jesse.

That puts our count at 27 acts of kindness to date. What did you do to honor Jesse?

This week we honor Ana Marquez-Greene. Here is what CNN had to say about her:

Ana Marquez-Greene, 6

Last week’s honoree was Nancy Lanza, mother of the Sandy Hook shooter, Adam Lanza. Sadly, Nancy was the first victim in the shooting. I wonder if that was because she was desperately trying to stop her son from committing this terrible act or if Adam realized that she would intervene if he left the house with guns, etc. Either way I’m sure that Nancy felt great responsibility for what her son was about to do and thus, felt guilty.

This is every parent’s worst nightmare–that the choices we make or don’t make will produce a child who is capable of great harm to the community. The hardest job in the world is to parent and it is often a very thankless job. So, this week I decided to do something a little special for a young mom in my community who is doing her best to get it right. Since she is in the “active phase” of parenting and doing it on pretty much on her own, it’s easy to be stressed. And on those days in my own life it was nice to know some “veteran moms” understood completely what I was enduring. Their own acts of kindness often helped me hang in there. So, I hope my small act of kindness helps her, too. Just paying it forward!

How about you? What did you do to honor Nancy? Please let me know via the submission box below or via the Contact page that you participated. Right now we stand at 26 acts of kindness to date!

Today’s honoree is Jesse Lewis. Jesse was into horses, something that will probably sound familiar to the folks in my community, since I live in rodeo country. Here’s what CNN had to say about Jesse:

Jesse Lewis, 6

Tomorrow’s Post: A Look Back…

Last week’s 26 Tuesdays honoree was Chase Kowalski. Chase wanted 2 front teeth for Christmas. Since I’m not a dentist or orthodontist, I don’t think I can do something to help someone get their two front teeth. Thankfully, Chase was already a triathlete at the tender age of 7. While I have completed a 3 day walk, I am the first to confess that I’m running-challenged for a variety of reasons. And being running-challenged, alone, would probably keep me from completing a triathlon.

I am fortunate to be surrounded by a plethora of people who have made running great distances a part of their lives. They inspire me since they are often running to support great causes, such as cancer research or heart disease prevention or feeding starving people in other countries.

There is so much more to running these events than just training and paying the entrance fee. Often, there is a fundraising minimum and inevitably, one is buying new running gear of some sort to replace the worn out stuff from training so hard. Then, there is the blister aid stuff, hydration beverages (while training) and nutrition measures needed. In some cases my friends and family are also traveling great distances to participate, incurring hotel, air, car and additional meal expenses.

Thus, I decided my act of kindness would be to offset some of these “unseen” expenses for my “other-centered” friends. After all, the good book encourages us to “finish the race” before us.”

Today’s honoree is Nancy Lanza. If her last name sounds familiar, there’s a reason. She was Adam Lanza’s mother and the very first victim of the Sandy Hook tragedy. I confess that I have mixed emotions about Ms. Lanza. On the one hand news reports describe her as a good mother who tried to get help for her son, Adam. On the other hand she encouraged her son to be around guns. While I do support the 2nd amendment, the counselor in me does feel that those who have really serious mental challenges should probably not be around guns.  But, I also don’t think that Ms. Lanza deserved being killed by her son for this possible lapse in judgment. All of us, as parents, fail at some aspect of parenting and I hope I never have to pay for my parenting lapses as Ms. Lanza did. My prayers are that we all work harder at being diligent parents and getting our children help when needed. Here is what CNN wrote about Ms. Lanza:

Nancy Lanza, 52

Last week’s 26 Tuesdays honoree was Catherine Hubbard. Catherine loved animals so much that a local Connecticut animal center is now building an animal sanctuary in her memory, thanks to the donations of her family and friends. As I pondered how I could honor Catherine with an act of kindness, my mind turned to the book I’ve just completed reading, The Hole in our Gospel, which describes how people all over the world are starving.

One of the encouraging parts of the world’s hunger issue is that when those affected are able to raise an animal, they often can use that animal to feed their own family and sell some of the by-products to others in their village. Since the PH works in the dairy industry, we decided to donate 2 shares to World Vision International to help donate a cow to a family in need. A dairy cow can supply calves that can be raised and sold to other families in need and can provide milk for the family who owns it. Sometimes there is enough excess milk for other families and it, too, is sold to other villagers. In some cases this may be the only nutrition these children will have for a while. Perhaps more importantly, it gives that family hope. And hope is often the first “casualty” in these families. I think Catherine would like the thought of an animal bringing hope and joy to a family.

That brings the MIP Acts of Kindness count to 22. What did you do for Catherine? Please submit a comment below or send an email to me via the Contact page. It’s fine to just say that you participated, if you prefer that.

Today’s honoree is Chase Kowalski:

Chase Kowalski, 7

What Chase really wanted for Christmas was two front teeth. “I saw him two days ago, and I asked him if he wanted to see Santa, and he told me that he wanted his teeth back, and it was really sweet,” Chase’s neighbor Keeley Baumann, 13, told News Times. At 6, Chase completed his first triathlon, but that was just one of his pursuits. He loved baseball. He was in the Cub Scouts. He looked forward to the kids’ workshop at the local Home Depot. “We are thankful to the Lord for giving us seven years with our beautiful loving son. It is with heavy hearts that we return him,” the family said in an obituary.

So, what about Chase inspires you to do an act of kindness for someone? I am anxious to hear your thoughts.

Tomorrow’s Post: And the prize goes to…

Last week’s 26 Acts of Kindness honoree was Madeleine Hsu. Madeleine loved dancing and running. At first I thought I would center my act of kindness around dancing since the DD was a dancer, too. Apparently, God had other ideas. I received, in the mail, a request from one of my “adopteds” to support her as she ran a half-marathon on behalf of her mother, who is living through everyone’s worst nightmare: cancer. When I reread the description of Madeleine, it reminded me of Ms. Adopted, who had very similar qualities to Madeleine, when she was 6 years old. So, this week’s kindness act is a donation to her fund to raise money for research for lymphoma and leukemia. May that very donation be a way for her mom to live a while longer–her mom sustained me, emotionally, when I was going through a very dark time in my life and so, it only seems right to do something that also honors her.

The MIP Acts of Kindness count stands at 19. How about you? What did you do this week for your act of kindness? Please submit a comment below or send me a private email (about participating this week) on the Contact Page. Thanks!

This week’s honoree is a little ginger named Catherine. Read below for more information about her via CNN:

Catherine V. Hubbard, 6

The little girl with bright red hair will be remembered for her smile and her love of animals. Catherine is survived by her older brother, her parents, grandparents, great-grandmother, uncles, aunts and nine cousins. “Her family prays that she, all the students of Sandy Hook Elementary, and all those affected by this brutal event find peace in their hearts,” they wrote in her obituary. In lieu of flowers, her family asked that people make donations to the Newtown Animal Center. A Facebook page honoring Catherine spoke of how she is now an angel. “Such a beautiful little soul,” the post read, saying the family’s loss is heaven’s gain.

Please note that I have put links to the Newtown Animal Center and Catherine’s FB page, in case you want more information about her. Just click on the highlighted words above.

Tomorrow’s Post: And a little child shall lead them…