pray. - Happy Notes
Jen is a sweet friend of mine and has been following my blog. After she read my last post, Run. Pray. - America, I received a text that read, "I was thinking we should do downtown, so that we can pass out sticky notes." When I read the text, I WAS STOKED!!
For the past few weeks, we have been meeting up for breakfast on Friday mornings. Our meetings are always refreshing, enjoyable, and full of deep conversation. This morning, we met for breakfast and took a stroll down Main Street handing out happy notes to every person we passed.
The notes had random messages written on them. "You are loved." "You MATTER." "Stand proud in your own skin!" "You are worthy." "You are beautiful." "You light up the world." "You are amazing." "Let your soul shine."
What hurt my heart was how apprehensive people were when we walked up to them. They gazed at us with such confusion and question. It hurt because each person's number one reaction was NOT to trust us. It hurts to experience the lack of faith in humanity.
BUT, what came after was something truly special. We told everyone our goal. "We are walking around to pass out happy notes. We can all use a little extra happiness." Then, we pulled a sticky note from the top of our stack. The responses were priceless.
Genuine reactions of joy. Defeated faces turned into winning faces. Sad faces turned into joyful faces. Confused faces turned into enlightened faces. Most people told us thank you. Others told us the note was uplifting. Some just responded in awe.
One man asked us, "Who are you?" He asked us multiple times. I don't know if he had that much of disbelief or what. We weren't quite sure what he meant, but he did offer to help us find all the mice downtown.
Another man looked at us in silence, but the look in his eyes and the radiating light of his smile said everything. Jen complimented his smile. It got even bigger and brighter.
A group of three young men were sitting on stairs near the Reedy River. I walked over and handed each of them a happy note. Again, enormous smiles came over their faces, and one of them said, "Thank you so much. I really needed that today." His happy note stated, "You are appreciated."
Several people took the sticky note and patted it onto their clothing and walked around with it. Workers read them quickly, grinned, folded them neatly, and tucked them away into their pockets. You know, when they get home from a long hot day of work, they'll empty their pockets and see the note again. I hope the second time brings them just as much joy.
One business man read it, thanked us, and promised to pay it forward. After his promise, all I could think..GOAL ACCOMPLISHED!
As we walked away, we heard people asking each other, "What does your's say?" They had to be smiling as they asked - I could hear the smile in their voice.
The notes sparked conversations and evoked true, deep, and meaningful responses. Only three people out of the estimated hundred refused a note.
Today, my faith is stronger because of the interactions I had with others.
What would your happy notes say? Write them down and pass them around. Let's start a happy notes revolution. . #prayforpeace #bekind #spreadlove #happynotes
For the past few weeks, we have been meeting up for breakfast on Friday mornings. Our meetings are always refreshing, enjoyable, and full of deep conversation. This morning, we met for breakfast and took a stroll down Main Street handing out happy notes to every person we passed.
The notes had random messages written on them. "You are loved." "You MATTER." "Stand proud in your own skin!" "You are worthy." "You are beautiful." "You light up the world." "You are amazing." "Let your soul shine."
What hurt my heart was how apprehensive people were when we walked up to them. They gazed at us with such confusion and question. It hurt because each person's number one reaction was NOT to trust us. It hurts to experience the lack of faith in humanity.
BUT, what came after was something truly special. We told everyone our goal. "We are walking around to pass out happy notes. We can all use a little extra happiness." Then, we pulled a sticky note from the top of our stack. The responses were priceless.
Genuine reactions of joy. Defeated faces turned into winning faces. Sad faces turned into joyful faces. Confused faces turned into enlightened faces. Most people told us thank you. Others told us the note was uplifting. Some just responded in awe.
One man asked us, "Who are you?" He asked us multiple times. I don't know if he had that much of disbelief or what. We weren't quite sure what he meant, but he did offer to help us find all the mice downtown.
Another man looked at us in silence, but the look in his eyes and the radiating light of his smile said everything. Jen complimented his smile. It got even bigger and brighter.
A group of three young men were sitting on stairs near the Reedy River. I walked over and handed each of them a happy note. Again, enormous smiles came over their faces, and one of them said, "Thank you so much. I really needed that today." His happy note stated, "You are appreciated."
Several people took the sticky note and patted it onto their clothing and walked around with it. Workers read them quickly, grinned, folded them neatly, and tucked them away into their pockets. You know, when they get home from a long hot day of work, they'll empty their pockets and see the note again. I hope the second time brings them just as much joy.
One business man read it, thanked us, and promised to pay it forward. After his promise, all I could think..GOAL ACCOMPLISHED!
As we walked away, we heard people asking each other, "What does your's say?" They had to be smiling as they asked - I could hear the smile in their voice.
The notes sparked conversations and evoked true, deep, and meaningful responses. Only three people out of the estimated hundred refused a note.
Today, my faith is stronger because of the interactions I had with others.
What would your happy notes say? Write them down and pass them around. Let's start a happy notes revolution. . #prayforpeace #bekind #spreadlove #happynotes
This gave me goosebumps and brought tears to my eyes! You were a blessing to so many people that day, and every day. Thank you for sharing God's love with others! Love you!
ReplyDelete