Recently, I had the opportunity to be a guest on scrapbook.com’s Life Handmade podcast. Sharing the story and mission of the Bring Smiles to Seniors program is always a special time for me. It provides me the opportunity to show the world what can happen when people come together for a common purpose and portray “the power of we”. I always try and take the opportunity to share real life stories from our journey, along with a message that we don’t have to be perfect in what we do. We just have to do it with heart.

Every day, people around the country and world create magic from bits of paper and send their creations to our program to help us in our mission to spread smiles to seniors. Over 215,000 cards this year and counting. Those creations wind up in the hands of a senior who may wake up and think that they were no longer remembered. A senior who now lacks importance to the family they raised. Even a senior who has outlived their family and has no one to remind them that they are special, they matter and most of all that they are still loved.

In the podcast interview, I talked about two special events that happened when we were starting out and delivering cards by hand. The lady who the community had never heard speak who uttered “thank you” after the card was read to her out load. The man who had to be fed, who they had never seen move, who reached out and took the card from our hand. Two examples of the power of that piece of paper when it is infused with compassion, caring and love.

We often underestimate the impact that we have on the world when we use our talents and gifts. We spend needless time questioning our worth because what we create simply, in our eyes, isn’t good enough. We forget that those who have nothing, or anything to remind them that they are special, suddenly become special when that envelope opens and reminds them that they are not forgotten.

My grandmother always taught me that caring for those that cared for us is one of life’s greatest necessities and one of its greatest gifts. God willing, the path of life takes us all to that senior time when we too will be looking for that reminder that we still belong in our little place in the world. The love we show and the compassion we share are just what we need to make that little piece of the world a little brighter for those who need.

#morningswithron