Learning How to be a More Considerate Person ....

Over the last week or so, my family has been the recipient of "tangible/intangible" gifts.  The generosity of so many people has been quite heartwarming and overwhelming.  We'd like to think we are generous people, but have come to realize that WE (the Hyman family) can always do more.

We live in a society where we all tend to "mind our own business" and "live with our own agenda's in mind".  I'm certainly guilty of that anymore.  Its hard not to be sometimes.  I was a more considerate person and did the little kind gestures that would make someone feel better or make their life easier, and then I had children and one with some medical issues - I unfortunately sort of fell of the "considerate person" wagon.

For a long time though, I was starting to lose faith in humanity.  And just when I was in the "I hate people" mode - my son lands in the hospital for a very long stay.  The amount of people who have offered to help out in miscellanous ways has been just unbelieveable.  My faith in humanity has been restored, and I don't feel this way because its been "all about the Hyman Family", it just makes it that much more noticeable because I am the recipient of all this generosity.  So maybe I just had blinders up.

I have to share this, I have some friends that I have met on a "Mom's Board" on the internet.  Women that probably know me better than most others.  We have yet to meet in person, but talk almost daily via the internet.  They have gotten me through some rough days over the last couple of years.  Many of these ladies have pitched in and sent to my family care packages, meals, etc.  Its so wonderful to know that even though these ladies have yet to meet me in person, they thought to offer assistance.  Their generosity was unexpected but truly a blessing!  I can't thank them enough!

We've been the beneficiaries of meals, babysitting and house-cleaning offers, and yesterday after a winter storm hit Cleveland in the early evening, I drove up to a freshly shoveled driveway.  It continued snowing overnight and I woke up this morning to clear driveway!  I even had several people offer to donate blood when my son needed a transfusion late last week.  Just so many ways that so many people have made my "crazy" little life that much sweeter!

Thank you to all of you who have been so generous, and thank you for teaching me a few things about how to be more generous too.