Saturday, January 31, 2009

Pebbles on the Pond

Oh, the best laid plans...

Today is scheduled to be Day Six of Highlowaha's Virtual Baby Shower.  The assigned topic... resources all new moms should know about (books, websites, available discounts and coupons, etc....). I also intended to share thumbprint pictures and share some Super Bowl fun.

If it's o.k., we'll take a rain check.  I have something I want to write about that is more timely and dare I say, more important.  Check in tomorrow if you are interested in some Super Bowl Fun.

"Throw a pebble into a pond and watch the ripples it creates.  Kindness spreads in a similar fashion.  A kind act can be a catalyst.  It can reach beyond those directly involved.  Who can say how far the ripples from one simple act of kindness may spread?"  Author Unknown.

Yesterday I dropped the boys at their preschool and then, in typical fashion, headed to Starbucks to do some reading.  My head was buried in a book when someone standing over me said, "Hi, Claudia.  We have to stop meeting this way."  In front of me was a woman I met two weeks ago at the Potato Soup party that I posted about last Saturday.  She just purchased herself a coffee, so I invited her to join me for a while.  Forty minutes later we had covered a lot of ground - kids, husbands, career choices, and more.  By the end of our conversation, I really felt like I made a new friend.  It was, perhaps, the most uplifting 40 minutes of my entire week.  I can't say for sure, but I think Leanne might say the same thing.  Misty's simple act of inviting me to her Soup party allowed me to meet Leanne and two weeks later there was a ripple.

I arrived home from Starbucks to begin sifting through my emails before meeting a friend for lunch.    A highlowaha reader emailed me to say thank you for sending her her winnings from Monday's Chinese New Year celebration.  Small as her winnings were, she told me she would feel better about spending the money if she used it on a random act of kindness.  Peggy uses one $5.00 pebble and creates the first of who knows how many ripples.

Lunch in Arlington with Heather and then it's back home to Grapevine.

I head to my mailbox after parking my car and stuffed inside my mailbox was a large envelope, addressed to ME, from an unfamiliar address in Dallas.  Inside the envelope are four books and a two-page letter that starts out, "Claudia, I feel a kindred spirit toward you..."  At the end she says, "Read what you wish and pass on the rest.  You can leave them at Starbucks."  I will most certainly read all four books and, because of her invitation, I intend to anonymously pass them along at Starbucks.  The most important nuggets of information I learn from reading the books I will pass along to you.  One package of books creates upwards of 5 ripples. 

Living Highlowaha's Spirit of #218 means making choices to sometimes be the pebble and sometimes be the ripple.  Do this for me this weekend, will you?  While you are out and about be on the search for a pebble or small rock.  Pick one up and either put it in your pocket or place it somewhere in your home where you will notice it daily.  When you place your hand in your pocket or notice it sitting on the counter, take a second to think about the last time you made a ripple.  Maybe you'll even decide to share your story with us.  

A final thought...  the idea of pebbles and ripples doesn't feel completely irrelevant to this week's baby shower theme.  Consider this.  What if the children we raise are to be considered pebbles on the pond.  What kind and how many ripples will they make?  

Signing off until tomorrow...

Rabbit, Rabbit...

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

Today's post is dear to my heart. Sitting on my desk at work is a shiny blue "pebble" that was given to me by the campus minister at Bellarmine, Melanie Prejean Sullivan. Melanie is an amazing woman with an amazing heart and she sought to start many ripples through her work. I use that pebble as a daily (and sometimes hourly) reminder that the work I do matters to the future...I'm making ripples.
I'd like to think that this is HLA's mission to create ripples of wonder, happiness, kindness in the world...I have a presentation in Ft. Worth this morning at 9 am at the law school, I'm sure I'll have a chance to make a few ripples as I drive in.

I hope everyone has a beautiful Saturday. Those up north try to stay warm and those of you down south enjoy our warmer weather this weekend. I think I will make the time to take Lily to the park.

"And the cats in the cradle and the silver spoon, little boy blue and the man in the moon, when you coming home Dad I don't know when but we'll get together then son...I know we'll have a good time then."

Let "then" be now...let's make a ripple or two in our own house.

Katie said...

I also have a little blue pebble which I received after my attendance at LeaderShape my junior year of college. I keep it in the top drawer of my desk and it is a constant reminder that the work I do and my relationships with others are making ripples in the world.

I am off to Gettysburg, PA for a day trip with some friends- it will be my goal to make some ripples today during our trip.

Happy Saturday, HLA!

Julie said...

I received an inspirational poster from a dear friend one year, and the picture on the poster is the same picture at the top of today's post. The word is "action" and the tag line reads "it only takes a single thought to move the world."

Have a wonderful weekend, HLA! May a pebble that you use to start a ripple find its way back to you :)

Cheryl Houston said...

Happy Saturday everyone.

My day is just full of cleaning and small errands. And tonight- late- I'm heading over to Dallas to see Trent Willmon at Gilley's with my friend Margaret and others. I will be on the look out for ways for me to throw my pebble and make some ripples.

I had to go dig my rock out of a bag of stuff that I had at my old job in Utah. It's in the shape of a heart with little black and white dots on it. I'll have to find a special place for it. :)

Brian K. Root said...

Claudia,

I really enjoyed your pebble and ripple post today! Thank you.

Peggy said...

For some reason that title got me thinking of songs, and how I screw up the lyrics and sing my own version... but I thought "Pebbles on the Pond" to
Riders on the storm.... &
Islands in the stream

I too have a small rock somewhere... that has traveled with me from home to home... mmmm... gives me a goal today, to find it and proudly display the ripple effect (or is it affect) that I can use it to inspire!

I even made one of my rocks years ago, into my own "Pet rock" with google eyes... what funny little things give me great joy!

Anonymous said...

Happy Saturday HLA! I have missed the last couple of days. Trying to read and catch up. Wow! Today's post moved the earth under my feet!!! My chance meeting with Claudia months ago has made an incredible positive impact in my life. The ripples continue...Don't sweat the small stuff but it is the little things that matter. I had lunch with a girlfriend yesterday and she is 6 months pregnant. I felt the baby kick. It put a ripple in my heart. It is a beautiful picnic kind of day here in Texas. I will seek out the perfect pebble today while enjoying the day with my girls and reflect upon the words of today. Thank you Claudia!

Peggy said...

Okay, so, I'm doing a happy dance... I'm still in my jammies at 1:35 pm.... and I did not find my pebble, BUT.... I did find my pet rocks!!! I am so excited... one of my goals for today...almost completed... this is so cool!

Check out my blog if you want to see my little friends from 1976!!! I can do anything!!
http://prdesigns.blogspot.com

ps... did I put a smile on your face??? :0)

Anonymous said...

YES, peggy, you did just make me smile! THANK YOU!

Dr. B, I finally recieved my goal fishing stuff today! THANKS! I am super excited to get started! :-D

I do not have a rock or pebble that reminds me to be the ripple. I may need to get me one of those...but I do like to make the day of someone every once in a while. RAK's is how I am doing that. Tomorrow starts month number two of the year of 12 RAK's (one/month) and I am anxiously awaiting the month of FEB for my next act...what shall it be? No one knows for sure!

Anonymous said...

PS the goal fishing stuff included my VERY FIRST patch...now I need to find something to be my "HLA patchwork denim"!!! :-D

Claudia @ Highlowaha said...

Cassie,

I love knowing you have your first patch. Just in the nick of time! You'll want to be sure and have it securely attached to your Patchwork Denim within the next couple of weeks.

Maybe I need to send your your #218 patches.

Meeshie said...

We just moved into a house in November, and while unpacking the last of our boxes in an attempt to get the babies room close to ready (hubby and i wont have a lot of time TOGETHER before the babies get here to get stuff done) I came across my "pebbles of the world" collection. Everytime I know someone is going out of the US, I ask them to bring me back a small rock of some kind. It reminds me that there a LOT of people out there in this world and how some random act of kindness here could maybe influence someone "across the pond". I currently have pebbles from Ireland, Germany, England, and Italy. My husband thinks I'm a nerd for keeping rocks from other countries...but I think its a cool way to remind myself about taking care of other people...if that makes any sense. Cool post, considering that it was the same day I found those pebbles!

Julie said...

Michelle ... send me an email with your mailing address. I'm heading to Mexico in the beginning of March, and if you want, I will add to your international pebble collection. I will also need a reminder before I leave :)