Starbucks coffee is the perfect treat for me on a gray winter day. A nap is always nice too, but that rarely happens. Starbucks coffee is a little too strong for me. My favorite drinks are the lattes. This time of year the pumpkin spice and gingerbread are my go to lattes and year round I enjoy the caramel macchiato. In the summer months, I prefer my coffee iced and I also like the green tea. Starbucks baked goods are delicious. The cranberry bliss bars are featured this time of year and are one of my favorites.
Several years ago my mother and I went through a Starbucks drive-thru (another great feature) after an afternoon of Christmas shopping. When I pulled up to the window to pay for my order, the coffee barista informed me that the person in front of me paid for my order. Evidently she asked how much it was and took care of the bill. I was totally floored. Did I know this person? I didn’t recognize the car. She said that people do it all the time. It was a simple random act of kindness. It was the first and so far the only time that has happened, but I left Starbucks drive-thru feeling special. There are a lot of people in this world who do things out of the kindness of their heart without needing recognition or repayment of any kind. It was a nice gesture that brightened my day. I’ve stopped watching the news because most days we only hear of the bad things happening in our world. It’s not that people aren’t doing kind and generous things. It just seems like the bad news makes it into the headlines more than the good.
I’m selecting two winners for this giveaway. Two people will receive two $10 gift cards to Starbucks. The premise behind this is that you use one card for yourself and use the second one to treat someone else. It can be a random stranger or someone you know. In order to participate just leave a comment on my blog about a random act of kindness you performed recently. It can be something as simple as giving someone a compliment or passing on a good book. The last day to leave a comment to qualify for the drawing will be Saturday, December 8.
I donated toys to Toys for Tots!
I made several toy donations to the JO CO Christmas Bureau, which helps fellow Johnson County residents at Christmas time.
I have been the recipient of someone paying it forward in the Starbucks drive through line not once but twice. It’s so nice! We have donated to superstore sandy and the homeless shelter and done food drives through our boys football teams to donate to the blue valley food pantry.
I have had the wonderful opportunity to be the recipient of a pay it forward at Starbux once as well. It is comforting knowing there really are still good people in this usually negative world. I have donated to the battered women’s shelter for years starting in Denver and continuing with Safehome here. I donate all mine & the boys clothes throughout the year but the annual shopping trip with my kids is what I cherish most. Every year I get the Christmas list for Safehome’s Christmas store and take my boys shopping. I give them a certain dollar amount and they pick out the donations according to the home’s needs and we all make the delivery. I think it’s important that my kids see, understand and have compassion for someone who needs a little help.
One of my dearest friends is getting married in July. I am her matron of honor. We went wedding dress shopping a couple of weeks ago. She told me that she was just looking and was not going to buy a dress that day because she would not have the money until later in the month. Well, she found the perfect dress in her price range. She wanted to come back the next week. Knowing that the dress may be gone by next the next week, I put the down payment on it. She was set to pay me back yesterday, and I would not let her. She had a hard time accepting this, so I told her if she wanted that she could use that money to contribute to a family in need at her parish.
That is so sweet of you Amy. I didn’t read this until after I saw you today or I would have said something to you. Thanks for sharing!
I am glad you read it after! Don’t usually share things like this :)!
We bought toys for Della Lanb this year for Christmas.
I’ve paid it forward at Starbucks before 🙂 More recently I donated a ton of books to my local library.
I donated all my sons coats to the schools coat drive!
Brie and I put together two kid boxes together with a bunch of fun and useful items for our church outreach program. I also love to bake so for fall/halloween Brie and I put together yummy trays of goodies to give away, I can’t wait to do it again for Christmas. I too love Starbucks, my favorite is the Chai tea or Pumpkin latte.
Does picking up my kids socks without getting mad count as an act of kindness? Seems like a daily thing now that the cold weather is here 🙂 No seriously, I wrote out 200 angel tags this week for our church angel tree -sore hand but it’s worth it!
I hardly ever go to Starbucks BUT on Thanksgiving morning Hannsh and I went to workout and stopped by afterwards. Got drinks for 4…almost 20$!! And a very nice older man in front of us paid for it!! His liscense plate said Matt 6:33. I felt horrible cause the order was so big…so I paid for the next 2 behind me. Hopefully it continued for the day cause it felt great!!:)
I’m loving reading everyone’s random acts of kindness. I like to do random acts of kindness through out the year.
Maisy and I put a big bag of change in our car, and every time we see a Salvation Army red bucket we donate. It’s such a simple way to get your children to participate in giving over the holidays, and she gets so excited.
My dad, who has dementia, goes to a “day care” program a few times a week at an assisted living facility. When I drop him off or pick him up, I try and go early so I can stay a little while and talk with the other residents. Most of the residents love it if someone “young” sits and talks with them for a few minutes and some like to hold a warm hand. I don’t know if this is really a random act of kindness, but I highly recommend it!
Dawn, thanks for this reminder – those small things can make a big difference in someone’s day. Our family had fun filling 3 boxes for Samaritan’s purse, but I’m going to look for something “random” to do for others more often.
I picked up a friend who has been out of work for many months and took him to a job interview. Pray for him to get offer the job. Thanks !