There is no such thing as a small blessing and I want to share a list of things that have been done for us that have blessed us truly right when we needed it. This list will come in handy for us to remember everything that blessed us so that we can also in turn bless someone in need. I hope it also shows you that what may seem small to someone else, really does meet a HUGE need in another person's situation.
We have truly been blessed with very generous and giving friends and family. It really makes me sad to think of those who do not have such a strong support system and perhaps this list will be a springboard or help the creative juices flow on how we all can meet the needs of others around us who are in the midst of tough times.
Feel free to email me or leave a comment on other things you may have done for others that was a blessing to someone else...
Just being there as a friend!
Everyone goes through trying times in their life and it can be a very lonely place so sometimes for us just having people over or being invited to someone's house just to hang out has done so much good for us.
Book of stamps
This may not seem like a big deal but when you have no money, buying stamps to mail bills is very helpful
Grocery gift cards
Paper products
Toilet paper, paper towels, etc. are not covered with food stamps so if you know of someone who is struggling financially and/or receiving food stamps, these items are very helpful to them.
Diapers and wipes
Passing on coupons that someone else may need (Ex. diapers, wipes, baby food, or other items you know a family will use)
Haircut gift certificates (The person who cuts Vince's hair gave him 2 complimentary haircuts)
Entertainment items or other gifts/tokens that someone has an interest in but will likely not treat themselves with.
Not a necessity for sure, but an example - Vince is a lifelong U2 fan and was given money specifically to buy thier new album when it came out knowing Vince wouldn’t buy it for himself given our situation. (Do you know that 2 other people also offered to buy him the album if he didn’t already have it because they knew this would be a nice surprise and gift to treat him with?)
Gift card to a restaurant
This was a nice treat for our boys because it was to one of their favorite places, Chick-fil-A, and they had not been able to go there for quite some time.
Offer to babysit for free
Vince was taken to a Braves game by a friend
Emails/cards of encouragement in the mail or just calling to let someone know you are thinking or praying for them.
Taking a meal or delivering the groceries needed for a meal.
My grandparents have an enormous pantry (meaning one upstairs and part of their basement is dedicated for the overflow) and they invited me over to "go shopping."
Invite someone to go out for lunch or dinner or have someone over to your house for dinner (sometimes just getting out and having social time is needed)
Passing on a gift card. My mom will receive Kroger gift certficates as part of being a Kroger Plus member and she also receives anywhere from $25-$50 Macy’s gift certificates as rewards for using her Macy’s card so instead of using it herself, she passes it on to us.
House cleaning
This was done for me while I was on bedrest during part of my pregnancy with Grant and was such a Godsend! I just recently saw someone else who benefited from friends coming over to clean their house. The lady I am referring to just had her third baby and the Bible study group she was a part of arranged for her husband to take her out and they cleaned their home while they were gone... she came home surprised and stress relieved to see a clean house!
Below is my best friend and her husband. They brought over dinner and we had so much fun hanging out until after midnight! It was like we were in high school again except that I have kids now and we have to take time out for putting the kids to bed. :)
When our boys read this one day (or at least I hope they will enjoy reading mini-novels like this :) I want them to see that no sacrfice is too small and to always think outside of yourself and give what you can. I have also seen in my life that when you feel prompted to do something, even if it doesn’t seem like a big deal to you, always follow through on it because I’ve found that 100% of the time those promptings come from God and it is God’s way of allowing me to be a small part of acting as part of the body of Christ to help some other person in need.
Here are some snapshots of some other blessings in our life....
A friend brought us dinner back to back nights in the midst of Landon being ill. Even in the newborn days of our kids, I was never exhausted to the point of being non-functional. I remember the second night she brought dinner, it was the day I hit my physical limits and if you can imagine, the thought of even warming up food in the microwave seemed draining. Her warm home cooked meal could not have been more perfect in timing even though she had just blessed us the night before with a good meal.
She even went as far to bring our boys their own special dinner to enjoy. While they loved it, they were fascinated that we had a whole chicken! I don't know if you can tell but Peyton is clapping because he is so excited about it!
*I love that she brought over cough medicine to help us with our colds but to also help as a sleep aid. It worked like a charm for Vince. :)
They are excited with the hot chocolate treat she brought!
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