Sarah's Friday Five: Showing Kindness
This time of year brings back so many wonderful memories of camp. It’s hard not to think about Greystone in a season filled with joy, excitement, love, and kindness – all things I think about when I think about camp! This year, what if we took those same ideas and really poured them into our camp friends, even if they live hundreds of miles away? This week for my Friday Five, I’m sharing some different ways we can really show kindness to our camp friends this season. Give one of these a try!
1. Compliment Cards
What if we did a better job of complimenting our camp friends even when we’re not with them? Who doesn’t love a compliment? So how do you do this right now with your camp friends? You could write a letter to a camp friend with 10 things you love about her. You could send each of your cabinmates one of these cute compliment cards with a short note from you on the back. You could tag your friend in a fun picture on social media and let her know what you admire about her.
2. Volunteer or donate in your friend’s name
Have an organization or charity that you and your family usually support during the holidays? Consider making the donation in honor of some of your camp friends. You can do this through The Great Day Fund too – a great way to support camp and show some camp-friend-love at the same time. You can also donate things in honor of your camp friends too. Many libraries will let you donate a book in honor of someone (maybe for that Greystone Library loving friend) or you can donate your time as well (maybe volunteer at the Humane Society if you have a Dog Camp loving pal).
3. Send some surprise mail
You know what I bet your counselor would love more than anything? To get a $5 Starbucks gift card in the mail from you saying that you miss and love her! Same goes with your camp friends too…send something small in the mail to say “I love you” in a fun way. An Itunes gift card (as you reminder her of your cabin’s Lip Sync song from the summer), a Barnes & Nobles gift card (to cover the cost of your favorite cabin devotional), or even a Bed Bath & Beyond gift card (to go pick out some apple-scented soap to think of Apple Cart every day!)
4. Pray for your camp friends
This is an easy one but can make a big impact! What better way to show love and kindness to your camp friends than by praying for them? You could pray great blessings and for great love to just overflow in their lives – what a cool thing to do for your friends. What if you decided to pray for each of your cabin mates for the next 15 days until Christmas? Or what if you just said a quick “thank you Lord” prayer for your camp friends when you think of them? You can even shoot your friends a text, email, or even send a card letting them know you are praying for them. What a wonderful way to do some eternal “giving back” in their life.
5. Pay it forward
One of the things we hear over and over about camp is how you can just be yourself without anyone judging you. I bet we all can think of someone at camp (camper or counselor) that just really “gets us” and understands who we are. What if we took that feeling and paid it forward to those around us at home? For example, next time you are at lunch, what if you included someone at your lunch table that usually sits alone? Or, what if you looked at someone who has a locker near you and smiled at them, just like Jimboy tells us to do in Breakfast Club? You don’t need to tell people what you are doing, but what a great way to honor your camp friends by passing along the way they make you feel to other people you may see everyday (who may not have supportive camp friends like you).