Simplicity and Kindness

 A simple church out in the country.  It is no longer used, but someone maintains it.
We had gone to buy eggs from a farmer friend and then 'barn hunt'.

My husband told me we had driven past this church several times before,
but this is the first time I really saw it.

One of the many good aspects of becoming a part of the blogging world is that I have learned to slow down and really look at my surroundings--absorb them and then record them.

I then got to thinking about the simple country church and that led me to simplicity which led me to googling for quotes.

 

Here are a few:

"There is a certain majesty in simplicity which is far above all the quaintness of wit.”Alexander Pope  (English Poet)

“In character, in manner, in style, in all things, the supreme excellence is simplicity.”Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” Leonardo da Vinci

“I am not a genius, I am just curious. I ask many questions. and when the answer is simple, then God is answering.” Albert Einstein



I took a break from posting and picked up the July 2012 issue of Better Homes and Garden magazine.
I had left a marker in there where I had left off reading.  The next article to read was titled "simple acts of KINDNESS."  A coincidence? I think not.

The article ends up by listing 50 acts of kindness. 
Here are ten of them:
1. Leave a bouquet at the hospital--the nurses will know who needs it the most.
5.Shower the pediatric wing of a hospital with $1 coloring books and $2 boxes of new crayons.
6. Hang a sign on a bulletin board that says "Take What You Need" ---with tear-off tabs at the bottom for Love, Hope, Faith, and Courage.
10. Leave your neighbors a note that tells them how much joy you find in admiring their garden.
22. Be the bigger person: Cede the parking space.
32. Send somebody an e-card, just because. The funnier, the better.  ( I still also send hard copy cards 'just cuz'.)
35. Resolve to refrain from negative self-talk--you deserve your kindness, too!
37. Relay an overheard compliment.
42. Pause and give people the benefit of the doubt.  E-mail, especially, can cause unintentional feather-ruffling.
46. Take kindness on the road: Pay the toll for the car behind you.
and ----
50. Ask others--sincerely--what you can do to help.

 Two blogs were listed:

1. A Chicago man performing an act of kindness every day and blogging about it--366randomacts.org
One of the things he did was scrub the house from top to bottom, which made his wife break down in tears!

2. A woman who rings strangers' doorbells and leaves sunflowers on their stoops --kindnessgirl.com

(I've not checked these blogs out yet.)

Blessings to you all!