Some days when I hear about the things going on in the world, it can make me think the whole world is going crazy. Senseless killings and violence are happening everywhere. Then out of those tragedies we see people band together, hundreds on line in the hot sun to give their own blood. People who lost everything in a flood are the ones leading the collection of new donations to help others. Those type of things tell me that through it all, there are good people and the world has not gone mad. When I truly think about it, there are many people doing good deeds every day but most days it goes unnoticed.
Mother Theresa said, “Never be so busy as not to think of others.” When we see others doing something good, it is nice to show them their sacrifice, good deeds and hard work is deeply appreciated. Macy’s has a great way to show someone that you have noticed and are inspired by what they are doing.
The 100 Good Deeds Bracelet not only inspires simple acts of kindness, but also transforms communities by empowering the vulnerable women around the world who craft the bracelets by hand. #100GoodDeeds is not just a great hashtag. It is a lifestyle, one that wants to change the world and do it in the most fashionable way.
Mary Fisher, the designer of the 100 Good Deeds Bracelets, and the face of the movement, believes that “a ‘good deed’ means we’ve gone out of our way to help someone, and only counts if the deed remains anonymous.” These bracelets are not only a fashion statement, but also an everyday reminder to its wearer to do good deeds.
These beautiful bracelets are handcrafted by vulnerable women in Haiti, South Africa, Zambia, Rwanda, Uganda, India, Bali and the United States, many who are HIV+. This project gives the women a way to support their families through their earnings. The nylon cord is strung with 100 glass beads and a rubber ring that slides over each bead to count your good deeds. You wrap the bracelet around your wrist three times and then adjust the length sliding the knot along the cord and closer to the “1GD.” Each time you do a good deed, move the ring one bead closer to the “1GD” button.
The very act of purchasing a bracelet is a good deed? Simply buying a bracelet helps the many women across the world who make the jewelry support their families. Bracelets are available at Macys.com for $30 each, and come in a variety of colors. Each bracelet is handmade and will soften with wear.
Life is short, life is precious and life is hard. We never know the battles or struggles anyone is facing. If we took some time to really look around us, to try to consciously think of ways we can make a positive difference in someone’s life, if would be amazing. I think of a video I saw the other day, just a regular guy who was having a really bad day. He was out running errands but could not stop thinking about what a bad day he was having and was immersed in his own pity party. As he was driving out of the parking lot he noticed a bald woman sitting in her car reading.
He said he cannot describe it, but a feeling came over him and he knew he had to park the car, go back in the store and bring her flowers. He did and he walked over to her car and told her that he saw her sitting there and while he does not know what she is going through, he wanted to give her these flowers to put a smile on her face. He said as he was driving away he saw her just bawling in her car over what he did.
It is the simple acts of kindness, the kind that are not expected, the kind that are not made with the expectation of getting anything in return, the kind that are from the heart. When I see those things, I know there is hope in this world and that there are good souls that do care about others. I know I may not be able to stop violence in this world but if I could make an effort to make a positive change or difference in one person’s life each day, then I will go to bed grateful. Grateful that I had the opportunity to be a bright spot in the life of someone who needed to know someone cares.
When we honor our higher purpose of being a light, not for our good, but the greater good of others, we encourage, and hopefully create, a legacy of “do gooders” beyond our generation. There are no pats on the back, or PR stunts laden with feigned humility for notoriety. Your “good deeds” are truly the world’s best-kept secrets — hence, the premise and the meaning behind the 100 Good Deeds Bracelet.
I want to start by gifting one of these 100 Good Deeds Bracelets to someone who came into the world and was given a name that means “helper of mankind.” My daughter Alexandra, my oldest child of 5 and only daughter was always thinking of others. At 2 she would gladly help me juggle her and her newborn brother by carrying the diaper bag into the house so I could carry her brother without being overburdened.
As a teenager, she was always involved with blood drives at the school. In the 10th grade her essay was one of only 2 selected from her high school to attend HOBY State Leadership Seminar designed to help high school sophomores to recognize their leadership talents and apply them to become effective, ethical leaders in their home, school, workplace and community. That seminar changed her life and showed her the importance of being a good leader and role model to others, to help in her community and to be an example to youth.
She has never stopped giving back. She was a big sister to a young girl living in a very dangerous and violence filled city. She volunteers her time for many organizations and causes. She runs and bikes for causes such as Doctors without Borders and to raise money for cancer research in honor of a good friend battling for her life. She is always there for a friend in need and she has grown into a woman who I truly admire, not just because she is my daughter but because she is a spectacular human being.
I cannot help but be proud of her academic and professional achievements but I am most proud of the way she lives her life every day. The way she has a smile for everyone and her exuberance for life has a way of reaching others who need it the most. So I will be gifting this bracelet to my daughter this weekend and I hope when she wears it, it will remind her of all she has done and all the lives there are yet to touch. I also hope that it will remind her that I love her and will always be her biggest supporter in all she does. I am blessed to have her for a daughter and I am looking forward to watching her change the world, one smile and one person at a time. I hope to do the same and would love you to join us.
#100GoodDeeds Bracelet Giveaway:
I am so happy to be having a giveaway for one of these bracelets as well. The winner will receive an Olive #100GoodDeeds Bracelet in a size L. Actual bracelet is pictured above. Please enter using the Rafflecopter widget below and Good Luck!!! Open to US residents in the contiguous 48 states.
#100GoodDeeds Bracelet Giveaway on Mommy Ramblings Rules:
Please enter the giveaway using the Rafflecopter widget below. Good Luck!!!
