This morning, I found myself shoveling my car out of 12+ inches of snow using a small office trash can. I went back and forth, adding to an already massive pile across the parking lot. It didn’t work well, but it was all I had. Our shovel was still back in Iowa, sitting in my stepdad’s garage.

A man stopped and called out, “Do you have a shovel?”

I told him no. The stores were sold out, and we had just moved from Iowa not too long ago. He asked if I needed gloves, but I said I had some. They were soaked from the snow and shoved into my pocket.

I had to head inside for therapy. When I came back out to finish the job, broken plastic trash can and all, there was a shovel on my car with a small envelope. Inside was a small token that clearly meant something to the person who left it.

For the rest of the day, I used that shovel to help others. I helped push out a woman who had just moved from Florida and got plowed in. I helped two others dig out from a pile someone else had left behind. Then I helped another woman so she could get to work.

I’ve been struggling with finding community lately. While the snow was a nightmare, something shifted. I made connections with neighbors. One even asked if I had ever had Turkish food and wants to invite me over.

I felt fulfilled. It reminded me how deeply I value helping people and how sometimes all it takes is one small act from a stranger to set a whole chain of kindness in motion.

Today I was reminded how small moments can carry big light. I was feeling unappreciated and a bit worn down, quietly questioning whether the effort I put into my work really mattered. Then a customer took a moment to share a few kind, specific words about the impact I’ve had. What she said was nothing elaborate, but it was sincere. While it didn’t change everything, I appreciated the thoughtful comment, and it served as a gentle reminder that being seen and seeing others, even briefly, can make a meaningful difference on a heavy day for those around us. 🙂

One time, I was in Reykjavik, Iceland on an overnight layover, along with my 12 year old son. We were staying in a hotel about 30 minutes away from the airport, at the edge of the island. Having never been in Iceland before, we imagined that the hotel would be similar to hotels in other parts of Europe and the US, and would most likely have a restaurant, or at least a vending machine with some snacks. So, we decided to just get to the hotel as soon as we could instead of getting some food at the airport.

To our surprise and dismay, the hotel did not have a restaurant. In fact, it had no food available at all -- no pre-made snacks, no vending machines, not even any overpriced nuts or chips in the hotel room. Furthermore, there were no nearby restaurants open after 9:00pm, and at this point it was almost 10:00. Even the small nearby convenience store had closed at 9:30. 

As we were resigning ourselves to going to bed with no dinner, the front desk attendant overheard my son saying he was hungry. She turned to me and said, "I can go into our kitchen and make you each a sandwich. Would ham sandwiches be okay?" Just a few minutes later, she came back with two plates, each containing a ham sandwich and a banana. We were so grateful and touched by her kindness and thoughtfulness! It felt heartwarming to be in this completely foreign country with wide open fields and total stillness in the air, and have someone care for us as if we were right at home.

I recently learned about the concept of “glimmers” and finding little bright spots in your day even if it’s something tiny. It could be that you found a piece of your favorite candy in your pocket or dropped something but caught it at the last second. That’s what these little rays of sunshine remind me of.

My “ray” or “glimmer” for today is seeing a picture of a silly crochet project I made last year. It was meant to be a yeti with a butt on it. I made the whole body (butt included) and then completely botched its face. It was totally lopsided and bulging out of the project. I showed my friend my crochet “fail” so she could get a laugh out of it with me, and she loved it so much that she asked me to send it to her. We got a good chuckle, and it felt great knowing my friend would have something to think of me and laugh at the same time. ♥️🤗