10 on tuesday: 10 nicest things someone has done for you

Wow, what a topic! Yano, the creator of Ten on Tuesday, always gives us the next week’s topic a week in advance. I’ve been trying to give this one some thought over the last week. But I have found myself totally overwhelmed by it. I feel very grateful for the wonderful people I’ve been blessed to have cross my path. Many of the kind things that have come to mind revolve around my back surgery last October. Friends and family came to the hosptial, called, sent cards, flowers, and packages. It’s during those major life events that people step forward to help make a tough situation easier to go through. I think we rather expect kindness during those times. Often it’s the everyday moments when someone, even a stranger, does something, so unexpected, and it blesses us in a tremendous way.

I’m grateful to have been spurred to think about the kindness of strangers, friends, and family.
Here are only 10 examples ... 1) My parents gave me Derby.

2) John scrubbed my bathtub clean while I was on medical leave for 6 weeks with my back in 2004. How many people do you know who would do that?

3) Knowing how much I admired them Christy gave me a pair of her very own Uggs for my birthday when we were in college. She's one of my most selfless people I know.

4) Last fall when I barely knew Louis, who is the worship leader at my church, he asked if he could come to the hospital to pray the day of my surgery. That meant so much to me. That was the start of a wonderful relationship between Louis and my family.

5) About eight years ago I needed a new engine in my Mercury Tracer. I opted for a new car. During the several weeks I was between cars my friend, Michele, made sure I had a ride to and from work everyday.

6) My cousin, Eric, makes me laugh (a lot) and has a knack for saying, "I love you" right when I need to hear it.

7) There are a million and one things that BeLinda has done over our long friendship. One of my favorite times was when I learned my mom would be needing surgery. A lot of my friends, while trying to make me feel better, told me “she’ll be fine”, “there’s nothing to worry about”. But those weren’t really the things I needed just then. BeLinda called that day and immediately knew something was wrong. She was very empathetic and let me be upset and validated my feelings and just let me talk it over and I felt much better by the time we got off the phone.

8) All the time LYLASarah will share her lunch with me, or loan me milk money, or keep me from dragging my sleeve through my ketchup, or make sure I don't have bad breath, or bring me ice water when I have a headache, or measure me in a bathroom stall at work with a paper tape measure when I need to order a bride's maid dress a.s.a.p., and just other general daily taking care of that I need.

9) I am mathmatically challenged (I think it's genetic). My high school algebra teacher gave me a passing grade because, she said, "Jennifer, I know you tried."

10) The nicest thing that anyone could have ever done for me is to teach me about Jesus. There have been many wonderful teachers in my life. But there are two who made it their number one job - my parents.

Ten on Tuesday