Like, wow!

I know I've said this before, and it's likely I will discuss it again; there's more to the Internet than porn and shopping. My life has been enriched thanks to this world wide web. That's not to say I haven't met my share of stinkers. After all, I don't hide the clunker dates I've had thanks to online dating sites. I haven't done that in a while. I think I'm due, but enough about that for now.

I am addicted, so to speak, to a social networking site called Plurk. I suspect it's like Twitter, but I don't use that site. I can only have one fixation at a time and Plurk is my flavor for now. I shouldn't say "for now" as if it's just a flight of fancy. I'm sticking with it as long as they'll have me.

Today is Tuesday. Tuesday is all about kindness. Many of the people I have friended on Plurk write about kindness on their blogs. Sometimes it flows easily. Other times they admit it was a struggle. We're all human. Go figure. Today is one of those mornings when I awoke feeling confined. I wasn't physically shackled. But mentally, I just couldn't see beyond my desire to be caffeinated. I couldn't remember if I'd done anything noteworthy.

I didn't keep track of anything nice I did today. Well, I practiced restraint when my instinct was to smack my co-worker upside her head. That was kind, right? I fixed my son a bagel when he returned home from school. Well, that's just part of mom territory. I realize that kindness isn't sequestered to Tuesdays only. Maybe I ought to keep a tally sheet? Had I even witnessed kindness in action? Surely I had. I really need to keep a journal. Nah. Not for myself.

Today I am going to tell you the wonderful things other people do. The thoughtful, selfless acts of compassion and joy others bestow upon others.

Man-cub and I were blessed recipients of such kindness. I picked up my mail from my local post office. To my delight, I had a couple pieces of personal mail; Netflix movies; an optical business magazine; the cable bill and a thick, square envelope with do not bend handwritten on it. That bulky card is the subject of my spotlight on kindness.

Even with our current bleak economy, there are people who find a little something to give. They give because they want to express compassion and love. I am grateful beyond words.

Gently I pulled back the flap of the envelope. Slipping the card out, I saw the representation of one of my favorite childhood memories: Linus and his blankey. It reads "May there be at least one moment this holiday season when you're reminded what it's really all about."

Upon opening the card, Linus recites a touching and familiar excerpt from the movie that is as old as I am, "A Charlie Brown Christmas"

"And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God, and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. That's what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown."

When I opened the card, a smaller card fell to my feet. It lay there as I listened to Linus. With tears in my eyes, I picked it up and looked inside. A gift card. My welled up tears soon drenched my cheeks with joyful sobs.

I'm guessing, at this point, you might be asking yourselves what Plurk has to do with receiving a gift. How is it all linked together? My Secret Santas are part of that social network. These amazing individuals have never met me in person. We know each other and have befriended by the power of the written word. They've joined me in prayer as I have done with them. They've been bright spots on days that were simply dismal. And today, they have enabled me to give my son a little more this Christmas.

Thank you, my friends, from the bottom of my heart. You inspire me. God Bless you.

"You cannot do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late." Ralph Waldo Emerson