In honor of Adie! She asked that we carry out her memory performing random acts of kindness:
Please read below and then share via the comment area "Random Acts of Kindness" moments and as Adie said "keep doing them until I say stop"... we know that this means forever! Reading these stories will provide us with hope, love and the strength to meet each new day as Adie did, with a smile on her face and in her heart! Love James and Tammy
Below are 2 stories that inspired the thought of Random Acts of Kindness:
At Christmas time in 2009 I went to pick up a few last minute gifts by myself. The weather was terrible as the sleet and wind kept most people inside. As I was pulling into the store parking lot I notice two men out near the edge of the road with signs promoting last day Holiday sales. Neither man had a hat on and their faces were are red as my hair. I instantly starting crying and had to do something to help. I went in and bought both of them a thermal ski mask that could keep their neck, face and head warm. I walked through a huge snow drift to reach them. They seemed very startled when I tapped them on the shoulder and handed them their gift. They instantly put them on and we exchanged Merry Christmas wishes. I called James as I was driving home and I again was instantly crying. When I got home Adalin came up to me very seriously and lovingly and said, "Momma, that was a REALLY nice thing you just did".
This past summer shortly after Adalin returned home from her final trip to St. Jude she and I went shopping. The doctors had cleared her to get her iv port removed so that she could enjoy swimming. She wanted a new suit that would cover her scars. As we pulled into the parking space I noticed a gentlemen looking through the trash cans in front of us. As I was looking around the van for some extra money she asked "what was taking me so long". I pointed out the gentlemen in front of us and told her I wanted to help him. She also said she wanted to give him some of her own money. By the time I got her out of the van and in her wheel chair, the gentleman was half way across the parking lot. She asked me if I would run and push her so that we could catch up to him. As I ran, she sweetly yelled, "Sir, excuse me sir." When we reached him she handed him the money. At that moment his very tired eyes glistened, and he looked directly at her and said, "Thank you, you saved my life!".
Again - please use the comment area to share/post Random Acts of Kindness! God Bless
September 6th 2011
First Day of School
MSU Tailgate Fun - Sept 2nd - 2011
Smile says it all!!
Adalin The Celebrity - 8/25/2011
Please click on Picture Below
Adalin Rocks her photo shoot!!
Adie and Kate
Yellow Belt Knockouts - 5/2011
August 2011
ADIE AND PAPA MAX
New Puppy Addition
Adalin and Angel - 3/26/2011
Karate Sisters - Adie and Kate
3/2011
A church volunteer group came to the Ronald McDonald House and painted faces and played with the kids.
Spartans - Chicago Marathon
MSU Woman Soccer Alumni - Samantha Cook, Cara Freeman and her brother Kevin Freeman
Adie and Mrs. Timlin - Summer Fun
Adie received her 2nd stripe as a yellow belt!!
27 comments:
Adie, Momma and Jackson took some cloths and blankets to the Haven House in East Lansing. Jackson said he couldnt help carry the bags because he had to jump into puddles for Adie, SMILE!!! MOMMA
On my way to St. Jude every morning, I pass a homeless lady who sleeps on a bench at a trolley stop on Madison Ave. Everyday, I find myself looking to see if she is there. As the days have become cooler and the nights even more cool, I worried about her and found myself thinking about her all the time. I couldn't decide what was the best thing to do. So one night, I put a sleeping bag, that wasn't being used, in my car. Yesterday, I tracked down the trolley that made that stop and asked the driver if she could please give it to the homeless lady at her next stop. I told my family about it last night at dinner and they all wanted to be texted this morning to find out if she had it with her. Last night the temperature dropped even cooler and I hoped she had been warmer. As I drove past her, there she was curled up on the bench with the bright red sleeping bag around her. LOVE you Adalin!
Although I didn't know Adie, I heard about her from a friend whose children go to East Lansing schools. On the day I read of sweet Adie's passing I made and delivered dinner to a family who has a sick child in the hospital. I did this in honor of your beautiful daughter.
In memory of Adalin I made a special trip to the Denver childrens hospital and dropped off a couple of gifts for some of the patients. I also made a donation to the childrens hospital in Michigan. My thoughts and prayers are with you guys.
Adie was such a joy to me so in memory of Adie I would like to share my act of kindness. A sweet angel who is on the research study that Adie was on came into clinic today. Her family were happy and having a great day, but didn't know that the Halloween celebration included a visit from country music star Kellie Pickler. As her family and I talked I said, "Have you seen Kellie Pickler today?" Amber was surprised and didn't know Kellie was here at St. Jude giving a show. The show was going to be over in 30 minutes and Amber's appointment in the clinic was coming soon. So I went into the clinic to find the nurse practitioner that was going to see Amber today to ask if Amber could go see Kellie real quick. JoAnn, the nurse practitioner is one of the nicest nurses you could ever meet. She said, "Absolutely she can go." Mom, Dad, and Amber were smiling from ear to ear and off they went. Amber hugged me as she dashed off. Making someone happy only takes a few moments and I thank you Adie for putting this idea in my brain today. Come visit me again sometime.
Although I didn't know Adie, My good friend is her uncle Mike. I went on a recent trip to St Louis to see World Series game. I didn't have a ticket as i pulled into town two hours before the game. I was looking for tickets and found someone who was selling two tickets behind the St Louis dugout. I was alone and was thinking of Mike and his niece. as i was walking to the game I saw three people talking. I stopped near them to see if they needed a ticket. There was an older man (Jim 81 Years old) his daughter (Marsha) and a young boy (Andrew 9 Years old). They had just bought a ticket for Jim this would be his first world series game.. I asked if they needed a ticket and they said they were looking for two more. At that point i turned to Andrew and said here is a ticket for you if you promise to use it and i see you in the game. He said he would. I then told his mother to buy a ticket come to Andrews seat with him and i would switch tickets with her so she could sit with her son. About 10 mins before the game I was in the seat and Marsha came down with Andrew. There were some empty seats around us so i Said lets stay here and watch game together. They asked me why i had the extra ticket and i told them the story about Adie. . As you could imagine they were sad to hear the story but could relate to it as one of there friends has a sick child. As the game went on we talked about her dad who was sitting alone in the upper deck. I got his seat info and told them to wait in the seats i would get him and he could sit rest of game with them and i would sit in seat Marsha bought. I went and got Jim and dropped him off at the seats with his daughter and grandson. As i left i turned to Andrew and said i want you to promise me something. Every year when the World Series is on I would like you to remember this day and do sometime nice for a total stranger. He looked me right in the eye and said I will do that thank you very much for this. As i walked away i heard his mom say to him i hope you keep your promise.
I never knew Adalin on a personal level but I've heard about her from so many people. She seems like a really strong and adventurous girl. Adalin is a hero to many of us and is the role model that a lot of people look up to. Thank you for being the greatest inspiration for us to be good people. Love you Adalin
Sitting at Urgent care with a terrible cough and a growing crowd of people waiting to be seen. Along comes a little elderly woman, all alone. She needed to be seen but was unable to write due to advanced arthritis. She was told she would have to wait until everyone else ahead of her was taken care of and then the receptionist could help her complete her paper work. I was coughing terribly and a bit worried of speading my germs to her but no one else offered to help...just as I started to walk over to offer my assistance a young father, waiting with his sick little girl went over to help her. He was so kind and polite and she thanked him repeatedly. It warmed my heart that his daughter got to witness her father performing a beautiful "random act of kindness." I immediately thought of Adie and what a wonderful example her mom Tammy has been for her. Thanks, Adie for encouraging us all to spread our kindness.
I just sent off a random act of kindness in honor of Adie to Pantene's Beautiful Lengths. My first grader donated 16 inches of hair to make a wig for someone that has cancer. She was fearless and happy to do it. Rather than including her name and address, we dropped in a card that stated it was done in memory of Adie.
I did know Adie and I know her mom Tammy and the entire Farnum family. I have had Adie in my thoughts and prayers for a long time now. I always keep in my thoughts her request for random acts of kindness. It is ironic, but I think Adie assists us with putting us in those positions to help people. I just recently had an extra concert ticket, and gave it to someone who was outside the venue looking for a ticket. I also was finishing up a recent early morning run, and helped push a car out of a ditch for a couple so they could get to work. As the car moved and I finiished my run, I said out loud, "Thank you Adie!". I also just joined a group called Chemo Angels in honor of Adie. They support by sending cards, gifts, etc. to those who are receiving Chemo treatments. I will remember Adie and Thank her every time I am able to make my patient smile. Thank you Farnum Family for the example you set and are setting, the world is full of Adie's acts of kindness. God Bless.
"Let us not grow weary in doing GOOD for in due season we will reap if we do not give up." -Galations 6:9
I have two stories to share...
Earlier this week I got a call from Tammy telling me she had a surprise for me. Several years ago we started Spartan Sprouts Soccer Camp for 5-9 year olds and had initally opened an account at the local bank. She was consolidating accounts and we had both decided that we were not going to continue the camp for a variety of reasons, most importantly it was a special thing we did together and I couldn't return to do it from Georgia each year. We had long forgotten about the account and both assumed there was very minimal funds left. Tammy called me to share that we actually had a lot more money than we thought (nothing outrageous people!) and she was sending me a check for half. I asked her about 4 times if she could use the money please keep it. I was not counting on it. But in true Tammy stubborness, with Adalin on her shoulder, she would have nothing to do with that. Someone who has been through so much still has the biggest heart around! Thanks Tam for YOUR random act of kindness this week!!!!!!
I also received a call this week from a college friend who is moving to Guatemala for two years of service as a doctor. We had been talking over email about "our calling in life." He followed up with a phone call telling me he had a calling for me. Usually it doesn't work that way, but this time I think it might have. The community where he is going is very poor, but soccer is the center of life and laughter in a dismal scene. He asked me to think about heading up an effort to get this community a turf field, as they are playing on nothing more than a bad dirt patch. This may be my random act of kindness and I know Adalin had something to do with it. That kid is everywhere! Thank you Adie!
Do all the good you can
By all the ways you can
In all the places you can
At all the times you can
To all the people you can
As long as ever you can
- John Wesley
Whenever I see the pink and blue morning sky I think there is Adie's sky. There isn't a day that goes by that she is not in my thoughts.
She once told me I needed to smile more,so that is what I try to do everyday.
I recently went to a grocery store that was having a huge sale on several items. I turned down an isle and there stood a very small frustrated woman. She said will you please help me? I said sure what do you need? The items she wanted were on the top shelf near the back. I had to stand on my tip toes to reach them for her. She thanked me and I said your welcome and it made me smile, That one was for you Adie!!!
Adalin's courage,love and strength has taught me a lot. You can teach an old dog new tricks! God Bless the Farnum family.
Love always, Great Aunt Polly
I didn't do much, but the other day I was at my hair salon getting a manicure when a young girl came in with a very adorable little boy. As I sat there listening I figured she was a single mom with not much money. She commented that it had been July since her last haircut because she couldn't afford to get both hers and her sons done. After she left I asked the gals in the salon if she really was a single mom and they said yes. I told them that I wanted to pay for a haircut for her. Everyone was so surprised and commented how nice that was and how much she would appreciate it. It made me think of your request to do something nice for someone else and even though I didn't know Adalin she has made a huge impression on my life.
My family found out some disappointing news yesterday-- that my dad had lost his job. The day was filled with emotion and stress, but all throughout I kept trying to tell myself that our situation is far better than many others out there, and everything will end up ok. As I was walking out of work at the end of the day, I saw a lady standing in the cold with a sign that said "looking for work" while holding a can collecting money. I was immediately filled with emotion, as this clearly hit home, and reiterated that there are many in the world that lose their job and that means the next day they face the reality of being out on the streets. Despite my family's bad news that day, we are truly blessed that we aren't in that situation. I gave her whatever money I had in purse and she thanked me graciously. I thought of Adalin and Tammy and the Farnum family-- as their courage and strength is an example to us all, and puts into perspective what is important and how we should live our lives each day.
One day before Christmas my daughter & I were coming off a ramp of the x-pressway & at the end there was a young man with a sign that said " no job, no family, no home". My heart broke & even though I am unemployed I have my family & friends & a home. I stopped at the light & said are you ok? He said I need cash for a hotel room because they won't rent to me without cash. It was so cold out, all I could think of if that were my kids what would I do? I gave him $20, that was all that I had at the time, then my daughter reached in her wallet & grabbed the only $20 she had with her. After that we saw him walking to the hotel. We both looked at each other & knew Adie was in our hearts.
Today my kids and I bought pizza, pop, and crazy bread for the east lansing firefighters in Adalin's memory. The firefighters were pretty caught off guard when we rang their doorbell. My son is already talking about what we are going to do next.
I was shopping at the outlet stores in Howell one day. This cute young girl was working behind the counter and talking to coworkers about going to see the play "Wicked". I LOVE this play!! She had a pair of shoes with her and asked the coworker if their manager would let her put them on hold until tomorrow, so she could buy them and wear them to the show. Her coworker said "I don't think so, you just have to put them back and hope nobody buys them.". When the girl walked away to put the shoes back, I quietly asked my cashier how much they were.... And told her I would like to buy them for her. I told her not to tell her until I was out of the store, and just to tell her to have a fabulous time!!!
From the second this situation started to unfold I knew this was a moment with Adalin!! We definitely share a love for fashion especially shoes!! It made me feel Adalin right next to me at this moment!! I love you so much baby girl!!
I was rummaging through old junk and found a picture of me and Adie. Remembering this blog , I picked out some old toys and donated them to schools diss abeles kid program and some to sparrow childrens wing along with 10$ in honor of Adie.I really miss her.
Adie - you are always in our hearts and in our minds. I love when you give us that extra tap and remind us to slow down and look around.
Give thanks for what we have and give blessings to others.
Small or little all acts of kindness count. Thanks for whispering in my ear.. God Bless the man on the bench.
One evening I was in Downtown Rockford and I promised Sophia and Sarah I would stop at Rocky's to get them ice cream. As I was in line, there was a family; a mom, dad and two beautiful little girls with blond hair, just like Adie and Katers. When it came time to pay the dad realized he left his wallet in the car. He was about to walk back to his car when I said "sir, please let me treat your family to ice cream tonight" At first he was adamant that it was not necessary and his car was not that far away. I then said "if you would let me treat, it would mean a lot to me because it honors a little girls I love and miss very much". He then agreed and his little girls looked at me with their blue eyes and big smiles and said "thank you". This very small act that cost about 8 bucks made my week. Thank you Adie for teaching me this life lesson. I love you and miss you baby girl.
I never knew Adie, but I have heard many stories about her from Cindy and the girls. I feel like her spirit is in us. She has inspired us all in some way or another this past year. We have been asked for the last 2 years to consider hosting a player for a minor league baseball team. I have been contemplating this idea for last few years as to whether we should be a "host family" or not. After reading all these stories it gave me inspiration to start the process. Thanks for the inspiration A.
I joined the Ultimate Spartan Contest to benefit Ele's Place, which has been a wonderful resource for Ellie since Adalin passed away. I posted on Facebook and a few times in our daily newsletter at work. I raised money to honor her spirit and was able to raise $820 for Ele's Place in her honor. Ellie helped me collect some old car seats and play items to sell at work so we could add that money to our donations.
The best part of the entire competition was hearing from co-workers that they knew Adalin or knew of her from school, from church prayer groups, and from having kids or family members who were coached by Tammy or James. In many cases I was able to talk to those people about how important Adie was to Ellie and to all of us. I was able to feel her spirit alive by all of the lives she touched. It just made me want to go out and do more in her name.
We miss you, Adie - but we will never forget you because you live on in all of us.
I never knew Adie,
I am a member of the MSU Field Hockey team and we have all heard her story from the girls soccer team and how much she has influenced them. Today during the stressful time of finals week I helped a friend and stranger in her honor: I drove a friend's car to Battle Creek, MI so they could sell a motorcycle and needed a ride home. And today when a girl told me she needed to leave a review session early to study for another exam I agreed to type up the notes for her and e-mail them to her..in exchange I asked that she look up Adie's story. ;) Let the random acts of kindness keep coming.
In Honor of ADALIN'S birthday :) and her wish to continue Random Acts of Kindness - I have partnered with Angels of Hope, an all volunteer 501(c)(3) foundation, committed to making a difference in the lives of children and those who love and care for them as they battle cancer. cancer just doesn't impact the patient, it impacts the entire family. Happy bday Adie! I love you so much!
To Adalin
My writing workshop assignment last week was to write a letter. I was going to write to my daughter, but opted to write this piece to her friend Adalin. Adalin's birthday Is October 1 and Ellie's is October 2.
Dear Adalin:
Thank you for being my daughter’s best friend. Not that you had a lot of choice – it seemed destined that you and Ellie would become best buddies when you landed at the same daycare center. Born only one day apart, it was like the universe cut you both from the same cloth. Spunky, artistic, opinionated, challenging – we knew that about both of you within that first year of your lives.
Leaders at the age of eighteen months, you and Ellie were the only two toddler room kids who weren’t afraid to get up and sing the fight song with Sparty when he visited your class.Other parents had to push their kids to join – but you took Ellie’s hand and ran circles around him. Once the other kids saw you both singing and laughing, it turned into a party. Your mom and I laughed and took pictures and talked about the trouble you two were going to cause in the future.
For the preschool Halloween parade, I remember your chicken costume with homemade red feet, fashioned from inflated medical gloves.
When you saw Ellie you ran to her and said “Ellie – you’re not a princess either! You’re a PINK octopus! Everyone has on a princess costume except us! I’m a chicken – bawk! Bawk!”
Please copy this link into your browser to read the rest of the beautiful letter: http://digitalblissforme.blogspot.com/2013/09/to-adalin.html
We go through so many days of our lives without considering what is truly happening around us. Class, practice, and studying make up our daily routine. It’s easy to get lost in these everyday motions and forget the impact we can have on our communities. Luckily, Last week was different. The Michigan State Women’s Soccer team decided to take a break from our everyday lives and make a special effort to help others this week. . Selfless love is shown when someone shows goes out of their way sacrificing their own time to positively impact another. With a colossal roster of 35 girls we were confident we could have this great impact in people’s lives this week. There were many contributions from our team and one of the best parts was seeing how each person came up with something different. Everyone had their own stamp of kindness. On Monday, I had a freshman approach me to tell me that she paid for a stranger’s lunch in line behind her. I had a sophomore tell me that she wrote random notes of kindness to some of her Facebook friends she doesn’t usually talk to. One of our juniors left money at a coffee shop so the next person could have a free drink. A couple of our seniors went to a local club soccer game for 11 year old girls cheering them on during the entire game, despite the rain. You can imagine the excitement of these girls when MSU players were there. These are just some of the individual random acts of kindness that took place this week.
As a team we also decided to do an act as a whole. The team decided they wanted to do something for our very hardworking trainer. Everyone pitched in a couple bucks so that we could get her an Edible Arrangement at the end of the week. When our trainer received the gift, she teared up as it had come at the perfect time.
I challenge all of you to live life preciously, impacting others so they may see just how important they really are.
I want to thank the girls on my team for participating this week. I am so proud of all of you. Whether it was holding a door open, leaving a handmade bracelet on someone’s desk, or giving random gifts, you all made a difference this week. Thank you Adalin, the amazing mark you left on this world in your 9 years surpasses what many people have done in 80 years. Thank you for teaching us how to turn a negative into a positive. Thank you for letting the love of God shine through you. Your presence was felt all week through these random acts of kindness. Thank you for being one of Gods strongest angels.
Much love, your Spartan sisters
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