Take one part cool, three parts creative, and four and a half parts cute as a bug and you've got my friend Layla.
She and her husband blog it up at the Lettered Cottage where they teach non-crafty people like me to decorate their world beautiful. And they make everything from changing your fireplace to installing new mailboxes seem possible.
But there's a deeper side to all their decorating savvy. Their blog business is a leap of faith and a walk of trust. I pray this encourages you as it has me.
Here's Layla...
Never underestimate the power of a smile, a friendly word, or even the smallest act of kindness- each one has the potential to completely change your day!
Me and my husband, Kevin, witnessed this truth firsthand on a chilly winter night, two December's ago.We were going through an extremely rough time financially. Neither of us could land a job and we were two months behind on our bills, going on three. It was terrifying.
I have vivid memories of the two of us lying in bed at night, jumping every time we heard a sound because we thought it was the repo man coming to take the truck we were leasing. It was also a very depressing time.
It seemed like all of our options were so negative...sell the house, file for bankruptcy, run away with our tails between our legs, etc.We prayed every day, but the stress of the situation was definitely clouding our creative view, making it nearly impossible for us to snap out of our funk and figure out a way to get back on our feet.
Then all of a sudden, something unexpected happened and changed our mindsets. As weird as this sounds, we experienced an incredibly inspiring moment of clarity in the drive-thru at Krystal.
It was Christmas Eve, and although we both knew our ten dollars would go a lot further at the grocery store than it would at a fast food restaurant, we were feeling extra sorry for ourselves on this particular night. So we decided to drown our sorrows in a sack full of cheese Krystals, instead of on a small bag of groceries that could potentially last us all week.
After placing our order, we pulled up to the drive-thru window to collect and pay for our greasy goods. The woman working the register handed Kevin our food, but when he tried to give her our debit card, she just looked at him and said, "you can just take it".
We weren't quite sure how to respond, but our expressions must have said it all, because after a few seconds of silence she went on to explain that our order had already been paid for by the driver of the car in front of us. We looked up just in time to see the car she was referring to turn the corner and drive out of view. We didn't recognize the car, and had no idea who the driver was, or why she had paid for our meal.
The lady in the drive-thru window went on to say,"She just said to tell you Merry Christmas". And then, with a friendly smile, she thanked us for choosing Krystal and proceeded to close her little doors so that she could help the next customer in line.
We slowly pulled away from the window, still unable to fully accept that we didn't have to pay for our food. To be honest, I think we were both sort of waiting for Ashton Kutcher to slam his hands on the hood of our car and tell us we got punked. But Ashton never made an appearance, and as we drove out of the parking lot, we finally began to process and appreciate what had just happened.
As we drove back home, tears of joy streamed down our smiling cheeks, and our hearts overflowed with a renewed sense of hope.
That one selfless and random act of kindness completely changed our outlook.
When we got back to the house, we went into the living room and talked. I mean really, really talked. And for the first time in a long time, our conversation was positive. Our experience in the drive-thru at Krystal was a great reminder that giving, and adding value to the lives of others is one of our deepest and truest purposes in life.
Simple acts of kindness can change someone’s entire day.
Sharing your time, your talents and your knowledge can change someone’s entire life. And although life may throw you a crazy curve ball now and then, what's important is to remember is that giving, and living with an open heart, can lead to a wealth of love, hope and inspiration.
Today, Kevin and I continue to chase our dreams, and because of our choice, we still find it challenging to make all of our ends meet. But ever since that magical Christmas Eve night in '08, we have found that the more positively we think and act, the easier is it to deal with life's wild pitches. Why? Because true peace and happiness can be found in providing peace and happiness to others.
"Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you," Luke 6:38.
She and her husband blog it up at the Lettered Cottage where they teach non-crafty people like me to decorate their world beautiful. And they make everything from changing your fireplace to installing new mailboxes seem possible.
But there's a deeper side to all their decorating savvy. Their blog business is a leap of faith and a walk of trust. I pray this encourages you as it has me.
Here's Layla...
Never underestimate the power of a smile, a friendly word, or even the smallest act of kindness- each one has the potential to completely change your day!
Me and my husband, Kevin, witnessed this truth firsthand on a chilly winter night, two December's ago.We were going through an extremely rough time financially. Neither of us could land a job and we were two months behind on our bills, going on three. It was terrifying.
I have vivid memories of the two of us lying in bed at night, jumping every time we heard a sound because we thought it was the repo man coming to take the truck we were leasing. It was also a very depressing time.
It seemed like all of our options were so negative...sell the house, file for bankruptcy, run away with our tails between our legs, etc.We prayed every day, but the stress of the situation was definitely clouding our creative view, making it nearly impossible for us to snap out of our funk and figure out a way to get back on our feet.
Then all of a sudden, something unexpected happened and changed our mindsets. As weird as this sounds, we experienced an incredibly inspiring moment of clarity in the drive-thru at Krystal.
It was Christmas Eve, and although we both knew our ten dollars would go a lot further at the grocery store than it would at a fast food restaurant, we were feeling extra sorry for ourselves on this particular night. So we decided to drown our sorrows in a sack full of cheese Krystals, instead of on a small bag of groceries that could potentially last us all week.
After placing our order, we pulled up to the drive-thru window to collect and pay for our greasy goods. The woman working the register handed Kevin our food, but when he tried to give her our debit card, she just looked at him and said, "you can just take it".
We weren't quite sure how to respond, but our expressions must have said it all, because after a few seconds of silence she went on to explain that our order had already been paid for by the driver of the car in front of us. We looked up just in time to see the car she was referring to turn the corner and drive out of view. We didn't recognize the car, and had no idea who the driver was, or why she had paid for our meal.
The lady in the drive-thru window went on to say,"She just said to tell you Merry Christmas". And then, with a friendly smile, she thanked us for choosing Krystal and proceeded to close her little doors so that she could help the next customer in line.
We slowly pulled away from the window, still unable to fully accept that we didn't have to pay for our food. To be honest, I think we were both sort of waiting for Ashton Kutcher to slam his hands on the hood of our car and tell us we got punked. But Ashton never made an appearance, and as we drove out of the parking lot, we finally began to process and appreciate what had just happened.
As we drove back home, tears of joy streamed down our smiling cheeks, and our hearts overflowed with a renewed sense of hope.
That one selfless and random act of kindness completely changed our outlook.
When we got back to the house, we went into the living room and talked. I mean really, really talked. And for the first time in a long time, our conversation was positive. Our experience in the drive-thru at Krystal was a great reminder that giving, and adding value to the lives of others is one of our deepest and truest purposes in life.
Simple acts of kindness can change someone’s entire day.
Sharing your time, your talents and your knowledge can change someone’s entire life. And although life may throw you a crazy curve ball now and then, what's important is to remember is that giving, and living with an open heart, can lead to a wealth of love, hope and inspiration.
Today, Kevin and I continue to chase our dreams, and because of our choice, we still find it challenging to make all of our ends meet. But ever since that magical Christmas Eve night in '08, we have found that the more positively we think and act, the easier is it to deal with life's wild pitches. Why? Because true peace and happiness can be found in providing peace and happiness to others.
"Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you," Luke 6:38.
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