I with few other friends bought pizza & soda and gave to homeless in monroe park before finals week.

Prachi D.

****************

Today we baked and delivered gingerbread through the neighborhood,
including to the grouchy neighbors who are in fact not so grouchy
after all.

Micol H.

Merry Christmas Eve!

Last week I was in an infinite line at the Fan Post Office when the woman at the window starting losing it. "How is that possible! I've been in line for nearly an hour and you're out? Why don't you have a sign on the door?" The postal worker gestured to the line. "When would I do that?"Seems they were out of Christmas stamps. But a few days prior, I'd been to the Post Office and bought too many. "How many do you need?" I called out. The woman held my place in line while I ran to the car and brought her a new book. When she tried to pay me, I refused it. Instead, I told her - and the entire room - about Theo. "So, take these on his behalf, and when you get a chance, pass the gesture on."

Thanks for helping so many people engage in the true power of this magical season. Much love to you all.

---Nicole, Joe & Colette

Hi Karla,

I hope that you are enjoying every minute of Lula this Christmas - if she is anything like Elise, nothing is safe and absolutely everything new in the house must be touched - especially lights!

I was at work today and Lite 98 was doing their annual drive for the Make A Wish Foundation. I decided to contribute to them this year in honor of Theo. If he were still alive I would be doing everything I could to make his wishes come true. There was a parent on the radio saying that if you do have a healthy child, thank God and love him, and remember that there are families who are not so fortunate. That is what I learned from Theo, to give my children 100 kisses every day and appreciate every minute - fun or tedious, happy or sad. He reminds me that my children are a precious gift. I'm thinking of you and your family and wish you all a very Merry Christmas!!!

P.S., If you post this, make sure to tell everyone that I DO NOT listen to Lite 98, it was just on at work. Thanks.

---Jennifer

This past May, a dear friend of mine that I've known since my first soccer team was taken from me. His suicide has really had a huge impact on everyone around us, especially because it was so unexpected. His family is absolutely destroyed and whenever I'm back in Northern VA I try to spend atleast some time with his parents, but it's hard. It's hard to tell somebody who's lost a child that everything's okay. Although this is hardly a random act of kindness, I hope that it acceptable to the spirit of this blog. Christmas was a time when Jordan and I would have snowball fights, share video games, go skiing, and even just do nothing together. He will be sorely missed

---Drew

Merry Christmas!

For Theo's stocking, I took your advice to give an act of kindness instead of money to heart. I have thought over it for several days. I feel like I'm a pretty good person (most of the time :-), and try to do nice things whenever the moment arises.....but I wanted to do something with purpose and with Theo in mind from the beginning. It wasn't long before a call from the VA Blood Services called saying that there was a need for blood donations. I said a prayer for your family and Theo, called and made an appointment, and will now donate blood on a regular basis in honor and memory of Theo. I hope this helps others and spreads the prayers for strength and happiness to your and your family.

Have a wonderful holiday season. I think of you often!

Take care, Angela

Hey Helbert Fueglein Family!

I hope you are enjoying some down time this time of year. I just arrived in FL last night and will be staying through Sunday. It is our first Christmas without my mom, so it will be different. I still need to go through her clothes down here...hoping to do that today.

My Theo Stocking Story took place last Thursday, Charlotte Reynolds, a loving little 4 year old, has a brain tumor and is working with Noah's Children at this time to maintain comfort. Her blog can be found at http://www.cjstuf.blogspot.com/

I went to her house with my portable chiropractic table and provided chiropractic care for her parents, Rachel and Roger, and did some gentle work on Charlotte. At the time, she was unable to open her mouth, so I did some gentle massage on her TMJ and gentle adjusting on her upper neck. The doctor also changed her meds to a liquid form and for the next several days, she was able to open her mouth and eat soft foods!!

It was a heartbreaking visit, reminding me of where we were a few years ago. So much has changed, but so much remains.

I wish you all a wonderful Christmas. Give Lula a great bug hug and kiss from me. I LOVED your Christmas card...ADORABLE and I loved the handprints. Your creativity amazes me!

Take care and Happy 2010, if I don't see you next week. Love to you all!

---Anna

December 24

I was with my daughter Emily and her team at a basketball skills session with a new skills coach. He had his 18 month old little girl there. She was adorable and ran around the court while her dad was setting up drills and working with the girls.  I talked to her dad, the skills coach, about her age. He is probably in his early 20's. He said that he did not know what to get her for Christmas. He said his wife wanted him to get her a Barbie Car, but he didn't think that was it. I told him that kids her age need the 3 b's, bubbles, blocks and books. He was intrigued and asked what kind of bubbles, we also talked about the kind of blocks that kids really like too. Finally, I said, 'Really, books are the most important. Do you read to her?' He said he did not. I then told him to read to her every night. He asked if sports magazines counted. I said they did. Practice ended and I went on with my week. Well, tonight, I bought 2 books for him to give to his daughter for Christmas. I will give them to him tomorrow at practice. I am really excited. I realized he did not know to read to his daughter, and probably did not know where to buy books for an 18 month old. So, for Theo, and my mom, who died in November, I bought him 'Brown Bear Brown Bear, What Do You See?' by Eric Carle, and 'Moo, Baa, La La La' by Sandra Boynton.
Have the best Christmas you can.

Carol

This Christmas is a really hectic one. I am away from my family and friends for longer than what I am used to and I know it will be this way though it's a part of growing up and doing for myself while here at college. I am getting used to this experience little-by-little, but all for the best I hope. For my random act of kindness I have decided to tell about how I recently lost money in trying to make some for college, but still came to doing something nice. I bought an iPod to sell on EBay so I could make some extra money for classes here at VCU in case of emergency. I ended up scammed and lost it due to a person sending me false emails. I lost exactly $366.50 and felt horrible about that at first. The next day I was at Wal-Mart and was thinking of this and how it made me feel like crap, but then I saw one of those Salvation Army guys ringing the bell for charity. I thought to myself that maybe something good could come out of me losing all that money, so I decided to donate for the first time. I felt good, great at that. So even though something bad happened I felt that the only thing to make me feel better was to do good in some form, I donated to this charity and now I can confidently say that I did it again just a few days later after this self-assignment was brought up in class.

--Bobby C.

Marina and Anna made a donation to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

The night I was leaving to go back home from VCU for the winter break, I had realized I did not use the rest of my meal swipes on my meal plan. Now this is very common with most students, and many times people tend to waste them at the very end of the semester. I found out a resident in my building had ran out of meal swipes a month ago, and was left with one meal a day. He did not tell anyone, but he approached me and told me about it. I offered to get him food for the week until his finals were over and he could get home. I didn't do it to use the rest of my meal swipes, but purely because he was starving himself and still had a good 3-5 days at VCU without food and I had swipes that were going to be wasted if I did not use them. I knew it would be better to feed someone else, rather than to waste them on nothing.

--Vi T.

I gave my birthday money to a friend in need.

Shannon C.

I encountered a small but sweet act of kindness while I was at work today. I picked up a phone call from a gentleman by the name of Sean Walker who called the store I was working at merely to wish us all a Merry Christmas and happy holidays, and hoped that we all stay safe. Just the thought that he cared enough to take time out of his day to make that call certainly put a smile on my face.
In the words of Mr. Sean Walker, I hope your family has a Merry Christmas and happy holidays, and may you all stay safe.

Sincerely,

Pin Pin N.

P.S. In my free time during this break, I've gotten the chance to lend my ear to the wonderful sounds of Thelonious Monk, and I must say I quite enjoy his music. Thank you for mentioning him in class.

On my way back from lunch the other day, I saw an older homeless woman (mid fifties) asking for money on the side of the road. She was looking at traffic so she didn't notice me, but I stopped and rummaged for a dollar in my bag, and surprised her by handing it to her. 'Bless your heart-have a Merry Christmas!' was her reaction. That made my day.

---Charles S.

This year we honored loved ones with gifts of flocks of chicks through Heifer International.

---Anonymous

I went to West Virginia this week to visit my family. My grandpa was having his chemotherapy on Thursday and was coming back around dinner time. I volunteered to make him and his girlfriend, Phyllis, dinner, so when he came back he could eat and Phyllis wouldn't have to make anything for dinner. He seemed to be very happy with the dinner, even though he couldn't taste anything because of the chemo.


--Heather M.

Thank you so much for including me again in Theo's stocking - you remind me what the holidays should be about. I really hope that you and your family are doing well and that you are able to balance your grief with love and laughter this season.

This year, I have already found myself in the midst of an act of kindness by finding a bunch of Christmas gifts to go under the tree of a young family who have really had life test them this year. The family was referred to me by a fellow social worker so there's not much I can say because of confidentiality reasons but this family needed to be reminded of the good in the world. Two of their children experienced tremendous trauma in their lives and their family is slowly putting together the pieces of their lives. In the process of wrapping gifts for this family - nothing extravagant or too fancy, just some toys and whatnot - I was also reminded that there is good in the world and that if we all try really hard, we can be that good in the world.

Merry Christmas! I hope your son's stocking is filled with love and happy things!

Robyn J.