Transforming Through Love and The Love and Kindness Initiative spring forward.

I’m writing this post in early May of 2019. The flowers and trees gift us with their vibrant springtime colors, American baseball is back. www.TransformingThroughLove.com has had a springtime makeover.

We’re still moving forward together, even if www.TransformingThroughLove.com looks different.

Thanks to our wonderful web designer, Malik Hassan, the website looks brand new. Thanks to my finally coming into the 21st century, I’m shooting and posting videos. And thanks to the enthusiastic feedback I’ve been receiving during the past six months, The Love and Kindness Initiative continues to grow.

I hope you’ll get into the spirit of new love and new growth. I hope you’ll help carry our message forward.

I invite you to check out www.TransformingThroughLove.com/videos Yes, we now have a videos page that is linked to our very own YouTube channel. You can find us on YouTube at Transforming Through Love Love and Kindness. And yes, your eyes aren’t playing tricks on you. The word Love appears twice.

If you like your videos brief, amateurish, and heartfelt, you might enjoy our postings (five so far). And if you feel so called, I’d be most grateful if you’d forward the link and whichever videos light you up with anyone you feel might enjoy them.

I’ve learned The Love and Kindness Initiative grows best when the idea is presented as a gift from one friend to another. If you saw the happy tears that spring forward from peoples’ eyes when I thank them for the gentle and heartfelt way they choose to show up in the world, you’d understand why I’m focusing on developing one-to-one relationships.

It doesn’t matter to either of us if we’re only together for a moment in a one-to-one relationship. The connection is real.

If you want to participate in The Love and Kindness Initiative and don’t know how to engage with someone you don’t know, please read on for an example of how easy it can be:

Sheryl: “May I give you a gift?”

Other Person: “A gift? What kind of gift?”

Sheryl (pulling a little bag of assorted heart beads from my purse): “Welcome to my community of love. Thank you for your great smile. Thank you for our conversation. Thank you for treating me with kindness and respect. Thank you for sharing your beautiful open heart. People like you are helping our world transform through love. With so much negativity in the world, I thank you for all you do for all of us. It’s a real pleasure to meet you, and I hope you will accept this little bag of hearts as a thank you. By the way, my name is Sheryl. What’s your name?”

In about a minute, we’ve created magic.

It’s not necessary to give out bags of heart beads. Appreciating someone just because he or she exists is an act of love and kindness. If you decide you want to give out bags of heart beads, I’m seeing great sales on all types of beads at national craft stores. Buy some heart beads, make up little organza drawstring bags of heart beads, and carry them in your pocket or your purse.

The size of the beads doesn’t matter. The number of beads in each bag doesn’t matter.

Hearts matter.

I’ve found when I remember to carry bags of heart beads, I invariably meet exceptional people who exemplify transforming through love. It’s as if the bags of beads reach out and bring really wonderful people to me! If the people I meet are initially shy, when the bag of beads meets their hands, any remaining defenses melt away.

Perhaps you’ll have a similar experience. I hope you do.

If you’re active on social media, I ask you to consider messaging individuals or posting the link or links on your feed with a very brief note inviting others to join you in The Love and Kindness Initiative.

If you don’t engage with social media, please consider emailing your friends or inviting them on the phone or in person to join The Love and Kindness Initiative.

Let’s spring forward. Let’s do this together.

Copyright 2019 Sheryl Hirsch-Kramer. All rights reserved for future publication.