Tag: kindness

 Mini Me and the Circle of Kindness

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On the very first day of school, mini me reflected the love of Jesus in such a simple, yet powerful way, by welcoming a new friend into her circle. What made it even more special was discovering that this “new” friend was actually an old one, a preschool buddy who had returned to Zion after five years away. Though so much time had passed, their bond was still there, as if no time had gone by at all! Watching them reconnect was such a sweet reminder of how God weaves relationships back into our lives at just the right time.

A few months later, mini me and her friends had the chance to share that same love again. One afternoon, as I crossed the playground from school to church, I noticed a little girl sitting alone. She was new to Zion and was trying to fit in with a group, but it didn’t seem to be working. My heart went out to her. Not long after, mini me and her friends noticed her too and without hesitation, they welcomed her in.

This new friend is bilingual, and her family recently joined our school community. I’ve since connected with her mom via text and we use Google Translator to communicate since she speaks Spanish. Despite any language barrier, kindness has spoken louder than words. The girls have grown close, and mini me even invited her to her upcoming birthday sleepover!

Moments like these remind me that love doesn’t need translation, it’s understood in every language. When children lead with kindness, they reflect the heart of Jesus in the most beautiful ways.

Back to School: Mini Me Begins 5th Grade at Zion

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It’s hard to believe another school year has begun and this one is extra special! My mini me is officially a fifth grader at Zion Lutheran School, kicking off Zion’s 174th year of Christian education. What a legacy this school has, and what a blessing that we get to be part of it.

This year is bittersweet, it’s her last year in the main building and her final year of elementary school. Next fall she’ll cross the parking lot into the “big, bad” junior high building that houses 6th, 7th, and 8th grade. That territory feels way out of this Noteworthy Mommy’s area of expertise (and comfort zone), but thankfully, we’re not there just yet. For now, I’m soaking in this milestone year.

Mini me bounded into the first day of school full of excitement. The biggest smiles came when she realized she was placed in class with her bestie, Abby, and the rest of her friend group. She instantly fell in love with her homeroom teacher, Miss Skerston, but also loves Mrs. Cornejo, who guides her in Reading and English. What a gift to have teachers who not only dedicate themselves to academics but also share their faith daily, teaching my girl about Jesus, life, and gradually preparing her for the leap to junior high.

Mini Me showed Jesus’s love on the very first day of school when she warmly adopted a new friend into her friend group, making sure no one felt left out. How exciting it was to find out that this “new” friend is actually one of her preschool buddies who has returned to Zion after five years away! The girls picked right back up where they left off, and mini me and her friends were thrilled to add her to their little circle. It was such a joyful way to kick off the school year!

With 5th grade comes more responsibility. This year’s school supply list included a massive zip-up binder (think Trapper Keeper for all you 80s kids, only this one is made of fabric, has zippers, pockets, files, all the bells and whistles). Picking it out was like going car shopping, with the various colors and features. She also made the transition to dressing out for PE, which meant stocking up on official Zion Bobcat gym clothes. On top of that, she now has online assignments to keep track of and had to select electives in the arts. She chose choir and beginning band (more on that adventure in a future post), which means she has no study hall. It’s been a challenge, but my determined 5th grader is ready to make it all work!

As I look at her diving into this year with joy, commitment, and faith, I couldn’t be more proud. She truly loves her school, her teachers, and her friends. Zion has always been more than just a school—it’s a family. And with a new principal and assistant principal leading the way, I know this will be an amazing year filled with growth, laughter, and many blessings.

Here’s to 5th grade, new adventures, and another year at Zion Lutheran School. I couldn’t think of a better place to be!

Kindness…The Universal Language

Published on by noteworthymommy4 Comments

The Kindness Project– My daughter’s kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Reed, started a weekly kindness project last month. She gives her students a kindness challenge to accomplish every weekend. Some challenges are easy like, “say something kind to your parents” or “call someone and say hi.” Others require a bit more effort like “thank a pastor,” thank the school administrators,” “do something kind for a friend” or “send a card to someone.” All of the challenges are age appropriate tasks to develop a servant heart in the lives of young students. So imagine my surprise when one of the challenges made me reach outside of my comfort zone and transformed my heart forever.

The challenge seemed simple enough, “do something kind for a neighbor.” I thought we could pick our neighbors down the street who have a daughter Lillian’s age or do something nice for the Rogers family, two houses down. They go to our church. But when I asked my daughter which neighbor she wanted to pick she enthusiastically chose our next door neighbors who own Pikachu and Benji, two dogs she absolutely adores! The dogs owners are friendly but we don’t know them very well. They don’t speak much English so our communication with them has never gone beyond a neighborly wave and a nod. Why did my daughter have to pick them? Will our next door neighbors understand why we are giving them homemade cookies and a drawing created with crayons? (what my daughter decided she wanted to give our neighbors) Why couldn’t my daughter pick someone familiar?

Then I thought… What would Jesus do? Would He play it safe or reach out to the unknown? Although this kindness task would force me to step out of my safe haven, I knew I had to assist my daughter and complete the kindness challenge with our next door neighbors. When we rang the doorbell and they didn’t answer, we left the goodies on their door mat. A few days later we saw them in the yard and they waved an enthusiastic thank you and I could tell they were greatly touched by the huge smile on their faces! My heart was overjoyed!

A few weeks later our doorbell rang and our neighbors’ son was at the door with a very special surprise! He was home from college and had a special delivery for my mini me… a stuffed dog that looked like Benji (their dog) and a handwritten heartfelt note that he had written for his parents. It was touching to learn that a small act of kindness meant so very much to them!

All of this happened because of the kindness project initiated by my daughter’s kindergarten teacher and my daughter’s huge heart. As a mother I am hyper focused on all of the things I want to teach my daughter that I never stopped to realize all of the wonderful things I’m learning from being her mother! And what a blessing it is to send our daughter to a Lutheran School where she is growing academically but more importantly learning about Jesus and how to serve others. An authentic friendship has developed between our families and I am thankful my daughter helped me reach out to someone new. I learned that when you show kindness and love to others, language is no longer a barrier!

Perfectly Maggie Update… An Exciting Partnership

Published on by noteworthymommy10 Comments

A few months ago I reviewed the book Perfectly Maggie a Sleepytime Story by Meg Macquire. Click here to read more about the book. The author generously offered to giveaway a Perfectly Maggie gift set to one of my readers! I am grateful to those who read and commented on the post and am happy to announce that Veronika Tait was randomly selected from all of the entries. Congratulations!

The winner, Veronika Tait, reading Perfectly Maggie to her daughter.

Veronika is the creator of the psychology and life blog SaltEmUpSisters.com. Her personal blog features research with a flair of storytelling, including topics on relationships, parenting, data-driven politics, and mental health.  It aims to foster human connection and ensures all readers that they belong. Veronika has a PhD in Social Psychology from Brigham Young University and is currently an adjunct professor at two Utah universities. As a mom of two she is very passionate about parenting and relationships. I encourage you to visit Veronika’s blog.

Lillian and I love reading about Maggie and her kindness!

Thank you for reading noteworthymommy! Your support means the world to me and is greatly appreciated! Please come back and visit noteworthymommy in a few days and read the fun we have been having with APPLES!

Happy Reading,

Jennifer Freeman Talley- The Noteworthy Mommy

The Candy Lady “Sharing Sweetness Around Our Town”

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It was a Tuesday afternoon and my daughter and I were on our weekly shopping trip to Aldi. While waiting to pay for our groceries a friendly lady, with only a few items in her cart, joined us in line. She smiled sweetly and commented on my daughter’s cuteness and good behavior. Since we had a cart full of groceries I motioned for her to go in front of us. She graciously thanked us and approached the cashier. She appeared to be a local celebrity because the cashier, along with the rest of the workers, seemed to know who she was and she was greeted with smiles, friendly waves and hugs! As my daughter and I were bagging our groceries the lady thanked us once again for letting her go ahead of us and asked, “Can your daughter have candy?” Although I was taught to never take candy from a stranger, this lady was clearly a regular shopper and I trusted the miniature candy bar she was offering my three-year old was safe to eat. As my daughter embraced the candy in her little hands, the lady thanked us for our kindness and wished us a good day. I helped my daughter unwrap the chocolate goodness and used this encounter as an opportunity to teach my offspring that when you do something kind for others, you get kindness in return.

Fast forward a month and you will find my daughter and I enjoying a spaghetti lunch with my mom and dad at our local Fazoli’s. A friendly lady wearing a beautiful cross necklace said hello as she passed our table. My dad complemented her on the delicate cross necklace and a few minutes later the lady returned asking if my daughter could have candy. When I responded favorably she showered our table with chocolates. My mind raced to the lady who gave us candy at Aldi’s and I quickly realized we were having another sweet encounter with the candy lady!

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A picture with Edy “The Candy Lady”

This time I discovered the candy lady is Edy and that she never leaves home without a bag of chocolate. She finds joy handing out candy to workers at the establishments she frequents, bringing a little sweetness to others in what may otherwise be an ordinary day. In return, they look forward to Edy’s visits and she is treated with kindness and respect. In the fast paced world we live in we often don’t take the time to connect with others. How many times have you been guilty of being on your cell phone while a cashier rings up your groceries? Or being distracted by your little one or your lengthy “to do list” or the many other stresses in your life that you barely make eye contact with the worker who fills your order? Edy reminded me how important it is to take the time to be kind and considerate and to let people know, “You are important, I notice you and I appreciate the work you do!” And as a parent I need to remember there is a little person watching my every move, observing my actions and reactions and striving to be just like me! Through a smile, a friendly nod or a simple “thank you,” we can all be like Edy and together we can make the world a sweeter place.

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Lillian was Inspired by Edy “The Candy Lady.” She is sorting candy to share with others.