May 2007

May 2007 Monthly Message

As many of you know, I'm not a TV watcher. I was addicted to Little House on the Prairie at age 10, and at age 43 I love American Idol. I'm not just a little addicted to it - I'm a lot addicted! A friend, Kristy Banks, introduced me to the show four years ago, and I've been a fan ever since. My favorite contestant this season is Jordin Sparks. I've loved her from the beginning.

Last week I watched the special "Idol Gives Back" segment with tears, awe (how did Celine and Elvis sing together?), and a new resolve to help children around the world. The show included several touching stories about children who are starving to death and living in very harsh conditions. I was shocked by the statistic that every three seconds a child in Africa passes away (usually from AIDS).

Please take a moment to read my April 26, 2007 blog called "You Can Help." It shares an incredible way our scrapbooking community can help homeless children in Haiti. Thanks to Natasha and Mark Hixon for highlighting this awesome opportunity.

Have a great May, and may mothers everywhere have a happy Mother's Day.

Lisa B.

Pay It Forward!

Dr. James C. Hoyal. A man I'd met only twice up until two days ago. Yet, I've never forgotten his face or his name.

Let me go back 11 years. I had just started Creating Keepsakes magazine (the first issue hadn't been published yet), and my husband had just been laid off from his job. As you can imagine, money was tight—I wasn't getting a salary yet, and we depended on Steve's income. On top of it all, Steve had a terrible toothache and needed immediate attention.

Don't ask me why, but we randomly chose Dr. James Hoyal, a local dentist, to take a look at Steve. As we were both in the room, Dr. Hoyal sweetly asked how things were going and what we did for a living. He learned that I was starting my own venture and Steve had just been laid off. We then chitchatted about other things.

I can't remember what procedure Steve had done—I think the doctor fixed a crown that had gone bad. The bill was several hundred dollars, and when we tried to pay at the front desk, the receptionist smiled and said, "There is no charge for today."

We were shocked and amazed. We thanked Dr. Hoyal profusely and talked about his generosity the entire way home. We also promised that we'd help someone else in need when we could afford it.

We moved from the area and started visiting a dentist who was closer, but we never forgot Dr. Hoyal's random act of kindness. We shared the example with our children and started our own RASK (Random ActS of Kindness) project. We created a huge poster with the word "RASK" on it, then every Monday night we chose a person to surprise with a random act of kindness. We wrote that person's name on the poster, and before long we'd filled the entire surface with names.

Two days ago I stood in line at a viewing of a close friend's husband (see my blog entry called "Never a Better Hero"). Directly in front of me was a gentleman who looked familiar. I asked his name and he said, "James C. Hoyal." I got a huge smile on my face and recounted the time he'd helped a down-and-out couple over 11 years ago. He didn't remember the occasion—but then I didn't think he would. He's probably done random acts of kindness his entire life and is too humble to remember them.

A favorite hymn of mine goes "Did I do any good in the world today? Did I help anyone in need? Did I cheer up the sad, and make someone feel glad? If not I have failed indeed." Meeting Dr. Hoyal again made me want to go out and try a little harder to lighten the load for another person. What a lucky day it was to meet up with him again and to tell him face to face that I've never forgotten his kindness.

Have a great April and enjoy the warmer weather!

Lisa B.