Meant to be Given in TWOs - Seeds of Happiness
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Meant to be Given in TWOs

Meant to be Given in TWOs

October 10, 2020

Oh my goodness I owe you some STORIES.

Net net - I will just share TODAY.  Which is not even a regular day in the life of my gratitude for your Seeds Of Happiness - but today was unprecedented.  Which, I am guessing you know sounds insane, having had two parents in hospice care.  What can matter more?  Well - nothing - but still - your SOH - they are a BALM.

Here is my story - I’ll keep it as quick as I can.

I recently took advantage of your 25% (or 20% sale?) - don’t remember -just remember seeing it and jumping in on it.  Not even for any particular reason - but having any - (hopefully MANY!) close - it helps.  Me.  But others, too.

Today was a WEIRD DAY.  Our local drug store (Vienna Drug (aka Vienna Rexall) - not CVS, Walgreens, etc) - is a local shop.  They had two crazy people present a fake prescription to their pharmacy desk.  They are a family business.  They knew it was fake - and called the (addict?) people out on it.  Called the police.  In any event - before the police arrived, 2 of the family Rexall workers were hurt - and only in their effort to delay the two crazy people while the store waited for the police.

Not my business at all - but still - they are our FAMILY pharmacy for 11 years . I KNOW these people - and they were protected their store AND our community from lunatics (were clearly high on something).  I made up a mason jar and a note and gifted it to them.  The woman is still nursing her shoulder - the older gentleman was there and still shocky - but so grateful for the share and the thought.

LATER today - we had an appointment with our security company - Vector.  Not because we need security - but its a contract on our home - and it was apparently due for an upgrade - we are not that interesting, trust me.

That said, the gentleman arrived and was on time, called ahead - you name it.  Late in the day.  I offered him a water bottle/drink -and he looked stunned.  I didn’t really understand his reaction (who doesn’t ask, “may I get you something to drink?”) - and he froze.

He was such a nice person.  I am not sure how - I didn’t ask - but I think his day was horrific enough to just need to share?  Not sure - I am an open book - but still - this was epic.  He was super professional and very sweet.  Turns out - he had a call in Gainesville, VA - and not to stereotype Gainesville, but the client (?) was racist.  This poor, poor man.  He has worked for Vector for 22 years (since he was 16!) and loves his job.  But this climate - he was just sad.

I am fast to share when I think someone needs to breathe, a smile, a lift, a gift, a tangible prayer - but never have I met a soul who has had such a DAY.

I didn’t pry - but asked about his day - and then it all came out.  I didn’t want to make him focus on ignorance and hate - and asked if he was perhaps married/had children etc…. Something light and fun.  He told me about his wife.  Their two kids. His parents (he has 2 mamas and 2 dads).  He also has a sister who died last year from ovarian cancer at 35 - who left 5 children.  I am sure you are nodding, understanding rightly where MY MIND was.  It was with his sorrow, but even better, it was frankly calculating how many SOH I still have from my sale purchase - which frankly after today - I would have bankrupted myself and nearly did.

I didn’t go into TOTAL detail - but explained the story - you.  My dad.  My friend who gave me my first.  How they are meant to be given in TWOs.  One to keep for EVER and one to share - because the beauty and the real fun is in the GIVING.  SO - I gave this stranger today in my kitchen, who was so sweet and humble 8 (him and his family x 2).  10 - his sisters children x 2.  8 - his two mothers and two fathers.  So - yep - I shared 26 with a stranger I will never see again.

I am not looking for blessing or credit.  I just want you to know that I do believe in my soul that my TWO (I have one from my friend (blue!) and one from my dad (blue, too!) are beyond ripples in a pond.  I wish I were a brick and mortar non-profit.  =).  Alas, I am not - but I will ALWAYS gift these - as long as they are on the planet.  Except my two blue ones.  Those - I will break anyone’s arm if they try to take.  One sits at my desk.  The other in our bedroom.

Anyway - I know you receive so many stories - I hope this one makes it to your mind.  I was overwhelmed with grief for both my small business friends - and then to no words when this gentleman who came here to help us had been abused for no reason other than the color of his skin.  I think - I KNOW your SOH helped.  He looked at me with a bit of wonder - and when I kept asking “how many in that family?”  How many in yours?  Times 2.  And he was so sweet - he was being so serious and literally COUNTING the cards and seeds out - honest to the core - I told him I wasn’t worried - and to take what would make (for him) worth sharing.  He just shook his head.

PS - the funniest part I learned later.  His father is a barber of sorts and owns 20 locations in the MD, VA area.  =).   Called Salon Plaza.  I am not aware of it - but if you get a request for these - or whatever?  LOL - those would be me.  ;). Probably not - but just wanted you to know your wish to change the world - or at the very least help some of it feel better?  It is alive and well in my house.

I wish you Godspeed and wellness.  And the happiness of holidays.  We are eagerly awaiting Jonah (soph @ Purdue) and Noah (VT senior) return for the holidays.  Jake is a hs senior applying to some crazy schools that likely WILL bankrupt us =). Jude is a hs freshman worth his weight in gold.    We are actually HOPING (planning - its planned - but you know, with C-19 you can’t say “we are” with anything).  SO - my point is we are going to Utah after Christmas.  I am hoping to bring a bunch of my remaining seeds there to drop in Utah!  <3.

Best as always - and I pray your super-crazy-smart-vaccine-bio-engineer daughter is doing well.  I cannot imagine the stress and pressure.  If we can help her or anyone in your family - please just say so.

Best,

Heather

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SPARK ⭕ Difficult times

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I sent seeds of Happiness to a family that lost a child. Here is the note I sent along with it.


Dear Heather,

I wanted to say I am so, sorry to everyone in your family. A good friend of mine, Mark Borella, made Seeds of Happiness for a dear friend of his and the family who lost their son.

Mark gave his friends a handful of smiles and explained he felt helpless because there was nothing he could say or do to take their pain away. So he made them a handful of smiles, thinking they could hold onto them until they got their smile back. The family loved them and it actually helped bring a smile back to each of them. I'm hoping that these will do the same for you.

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Thanks Mark. You guys are the best!

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SPARK ⭕ Gems of a puzzle

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My name is Mark. I am from St. Louis. I went into the Seeds of Happiness store where I was picking up smiles to share on a cruise that my wife and I were taking with another couple. We've been vacationing with this other couple almost our entire adult life. Come to find out Mark, the Seeds of Happiness guy and I, in the small world fashion, our lives overlap. I work with Mark's wife from time to time.  That was enough for Mark to treat me like I was an insider at his studio. He asked me to try something out. Mark took me back in the studio, he dug through a few boxes. He  comes up with these four triangular-round blue and red puzzle pieces made of clay. I watched as he puts the four pieces down on the table and start spinning and turning them until they make a four inch Seeds of Happiness logo. He says to me, give one to your wife, one to your buddy, and one to his wife, and Mark told me to keep one for myself. He continued, during your trip, when you're going to dinner or if you're going to do something fun,  make sure when you guys all get together before you eat or before you do whatever you're going to do, put your puzzle together so you start that event off with a smile. Understanding that if everybody does not bring their piece of the puzzle, the smile is not complete.

Honestly I left the studio with the smiles that I was planning to give out on the cruise, thinking “whatever” about the puzzle. Me being a guy, I thought it seemed a little corny. Well, I got home and told my wife about the puzzle. She loved the idea. At the airport prior to leaving we divvied up the puzzle pieces. We told our friends that Mark said to put these together before we do anything fun or adventurous. So there, at the airport for the first time, we assembled the smile. Well, let me tell you, it was the funniest thing! We all absolutely had a ball with it. At two points during this vacation, somebody forgot their piece of the puzzle. Let me tell you, with all the joy Mark intended, they ran  back to their room to get their puzzle piece so that we would start our excursion with a smile. It was hilarious! It was fun! It worked! It was part of our trip! We vowed that we would never go on a vacation without our pieces of the puzzle. I can't wait for our next vacation. Who knows we might complete our smile in some other country.

I went by the Seeds of Happiness studio with my buddy, the husband in the other couple. We both told Mark that never in our imagination would we have guessed how big of a part of the trip this would become. Mark responded, I just gave you a reminder on how to start your days. You are the ones who made the memories. You see, you never know what one little creative act of kindness might lead to. He then said, it usually leads to another act of kindness. Think about it, two  couples confined on a cruise ship, nothing but fun and no problems? That tells me, you start and finished each day feeling kindness towards each other! 
We told Mark he should sell these little “gems of a puzzle”.

A little side note. Mark told me he had made these for companies for meetings, as a metaphor! You see, of the people that work in a department could put their pieces together to make a smile. This then sets a tone of understand that every job is important, and if you're missing one piece to the puzzle, the company’s happiness is not complete. 

 

I thought this was brilliant.

 

So thanks again Mark. I'll keep you posted on our next trip.

 

Mark

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