My son shared the lyrics to this song, Send It On, because he loved the words - and because he found it on The Disney Channel website. I love that he recognized the power of the message. Enjoy!

Send It On

(performed by The Disney Channel Stars: Demi Lovato, Selena Gomez, Miley Cyrus and The Jonas Brothers)

A word’s just a word
‘Til you mean what you say
And Love isn’t love
‘Til you give it away
We’ve all got a give
Yeah something to give to make a change

Send it on
On and on
Just one hand can heal another
Be a part
Reach your heart
Just one spark starts a fire
With one little action
The chain reaction will never stop
Make it Strong
Shine a Light and Send it On

Just smile and the world will smile along with you
That small act of love
Is spent for one to become two
If we take the chances
To change circumstances
Imagine all we can do
If we…

Send it on
On and on
Just one hand can heal another
Be a part
Reach your heart
Just one spark starts a fire
With one little action
The chain reaction will never stop
Make it Strong
Shine a Light and Send it On
Send it on

There’s Power in all of the choices we make
So I’m starting now there’s not a moment to wait
A word’s just a word
‘Til you mean what you say
And love isn’t love
‘Til you give it away

Send it on
On and on
Just one hand can heal another
Be a part
Reach your heart
Just one spark starts a fire
With one little action
The chain reaction will never stop
Make it Strong
Shine a Light and Send it On

On and on
Just one hand can heal another
Be a part
Reach your heart
Just one spark starts a fire
With one little action
The chain reaction will help things start
Make it Strong
Shine a Light and Send it On
Shine a Light and Send it On
Shine a Light and Send it On

I have no words that could match the eloquence of the President’s remembrance of Senator Edward Kennedy, who died this morning. So I’m sharing President Obama’s words, published on The White House website, courtesy of my son, Ben, who passed them on to me. Thank you, Senator Kennedy for a lifetime of service and for “defending the dream” for all Americans. Rest in peace.

August 26, 2009, 9:57 a.m., Blue Heron Farm in Chilmark, Massachusetts

THE PRESIDENT: I wanted to say a few words this morning about the passing of an extraordinary leader, Senator Edward Kennedy.

Over the past several years, I’ve had the honor to call Teddy a colleague, a counselor, and a friend. And even though we have known this day was coming for some time now, we awaited it with no small amount of dread.

Since Teddy’s diagnosis last year, we’ve seen the courage with which he battled his illness. And while these months have no doubt been difficult for him, they’ve also let him hear from people in every corner of our nation and from around the world just how much he meant to all of us. His fight has given us the opportunity we were denied when his brothers John and Robert were taken from us: the blessing of time to say thank you — and goodbye.

The outpouring of love, gratitude, and fond memories to which we’ve all borne witness is a testament to the way this singular figure in American history touched so many lives. His ideas and ideals are stamped on scores of laws and reflected in millions of lives — in seniors who know new dignity, in families that know new opportunity, in children who know education’s promise, and in all who can pursue their dream in an America that is more equal and more just — including myself.

The Kennedy name is synonymous with the Democratic Party. And at times, Ted was the target of partisan campaign attacks. But in the United States Senate, I can think of no one who engendered greater respect or affection from members of both sides of the aisle. His seriousness of purpose was perpetually matched by humility, warmth, and good cheer. He could passionately battle others and do so peerlessly on the Senate floor for the causes that he held dear, and yet still maintain warm friendships across party lines.

And that’s one reason he became not only one of the greatest senators of our time, but one of the most accomplished Americans ever to serve our democracy.

His extraordinary life on this earth has come to an end. And the extraordinary good that he did lives on. For his family, he was a guardian. For America, he was the defender of a dream.

I spoke earlier this morning to Senator Kennedy’s beloved wife, Vicki, who was to the end such a wonderful source of encouragement and strength. Our thoughts and prayers are with her, his children Kara, Edward, and Patrick; his stepchildren Curran and Caroline; the entire Kennedy family; decades’ worth of his staff; the people of Massachusetts; and all Americans who, like us, loved Ted Kennedy.

My friend, Keith, posted the following on his Facebook page today. I was really moved by his act of kindness, his acknowledging the inherent dignity in a homeless man, and the patience of others who witnessed it. I am sharing it with you in hopes that you will be inspired to pay attention to the people around you - those you know, those who are “just friends you haven’t met.” Feel the connection we have to each other. Be grateful for the blessings in your life and be generous, whether it be sharing a meal, money, your time, or even a smile. “Since you cannot do good to all, you are to pay special attention to those who, by the accidents of time, or place, or circumstances, are brought into closer connection with you.” ~ Augustine of Hippo

I was at a stop light recently and offered $5 to a man with a sign seeking food. He walked, painfully, slowly. It took an eternity for him to reach the car…I asked him how he was as he walked over. He said things were hard. The light changed. I wished him well. He limped slowly away. I waited. Nobody honked. I chalked one up to humanity. ~ Keith Reynolds

It wasn’t long after my own airport “episode” (see my August 6 post) that I received an email from out of the blue from Jason Barger. Jason is a motivational speaker and author of the book, Step Back from the Baggage Claim, and a blog by the same name. He has literally “lived” in airports to gain an understanding of how we can cultivate “a new spirit for the obstacles, delays & cancellations in life.” How we all need to “step back from the baggage claim… to think about what it means to include the people around us… to create space for something significant to arise in our lives.” What a cool metaphor. If you have a few minutes, check out an excerpt of a speech he gave to a Rotary Club. It’s worth watching.

We don’t know exactly how our paths crossed, but I’m happy to now call him a friend and know that there’s another person out there spreading kindness and compassion in the world.

I’m learning – and often need reminding – that one of the greatest acts of kindness you can do is to be gentle with yourself, to give yourself the time to process change, to recharge after mental, emotional or physical exertion and to just cut yourself a break when things don’t go exactly as planned. I say all this not because I’m such an expert, but because by thinking and writing about it, I’m in the process of becoming whatever it is I’m meant to be, too.

Several months ago, I heard about a very creative business venture started by Jason Sadler, a social media expert and T-shirt-wearer! His business is called iwearyourshirt.com and he does just that. He wears your shirt for a day - no matter where he is going, no matter what he is doing - then blogs, tweets, posts on FB and even does a YouTube video about your company or cause. Go to his site and learn more. It’s a really creative business that totally leverages all that social media has to offer… and Jason is a lot of fun to watch.

So… I bought a day. It was supposed to be August 29, but the company that was on for today had postal service problems and long story short, their shirt didn’t arrive in time for Jason to wear it today. That’s when Jason contacted me, asking if it would be ok to swap days with this company. I thought, why not?

Well, it didn’t seem like a big thing, but since I agreed, I received an email from the company whose shirts didn’t arrive in time. A big thank you, ending with “if there is anything I can do for you…” I’ve thought about it and all I’m asking is that he pass on some kindness today.

I’ve been so delighted watching the comments to Jason’s Facebook posts, Twitter tweets and blog comments stream in. People get so excited when they think about the possibilities they have for making a difference… for b-ing nice, kind, generous, patient, compassionate, helpful… And what I’ve also discovered is that “we” (myself included!) don’t always take the time to acknowledge ourselves for the acts of kindness we’ve done or are doing. But when we do, doesn’t that feel great, too? In giving, we get so much in return.

I wanted to also share a great post to Jason’s blog from Kadie Chandler. I found Kadie’s act of kindness and generosity so inspiring, I just had to pass it on.

“We must not, in trying to think about how we can make a big difference,
ignore the small daily differences that we can make.”

~ M W Edelman

I know this may sound a little unusual, but I love airports. I guess, a better way of putting it is that I find them interesting. Especially from a people-watching perspective. Airports are a microcosm of the world… a melting pot of humanity and a laboratory for human behavior. They’re also great places to see the power of kindness in action.

Here are a few examples from some recent travels:

This summer, I was visiting two friends in LA – one friend recently lost her husband to cancer, the other is battling it for the third time. Both visits humbled me and put my own daily challenges into proper perspective. Coming and going to LA, I faced airport adversity. Going: I had a three-hour delay resulting in lost connections and ultimately changing airlines. I watched as people reached their boiling points, becoming more and more upset with the customer service agents, even as they tried their best to be accommodating. Although I was in the eye of the storm, I watched with interested objectivity. When it was my turn at the counter, I acknowledged the stressful circumstances under which the agent was working and thanked her for all of her efforts in getting me an alternative flight. She looked up from her glasses for the first time and said, “Thanks, honey. I appreciate that.”

On the way home, the travel scene was no better. My plane had been downsized with no regard to the number of passengers who had reservations. My seat was 24B. But there were only 18 rows. So I got off the plane, along with other seatless travelers, many who were quite furious. The attendants apologized and told us to go the ticket counter where we would be put on another flight and given a voucher for a free future flight. That was not enough to satisfy one passenger who flung some pretty nasty remarks at the agent as she took her ticket for later flight. I caught a glance from a young woman who also witnessed the episode. Together, we smiled and shook our heads, wondering how some people have no empathy… and no qualms about telling off a person they don’t even know.

Just then, a flight attendant from our plane came running up to the counter and said, “Ladies, we have room for you. Come back on board.” We smiled at each other and followed him across the tarmac to our little plane. I don’t think it was entirely coincidence that the two of us got lucky. I’m a believer in karma — what goes around comes around. I like to think that it’s the universe rewarding kindness, reminding us that the more we act kindly, the more we get back in return.

P.S. A little shout-out to my younger sister, Tracy, on her (I won’t say which number) B-day!
Love ya, Tray! Hope this year is the best ever! XOXO

A friend of mine, who is a big fan of Audrey Hepburn, shared this poem with me. Ms. Hepburn apparently wrote it in response to a request that she share her beauty tips. It was later read at her funeral.

For attractive lips, speak words of kindness.
For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people.
For slim figure, share your food with the hungry.
For beautiful hair, let a child run his/her fingers through it once a day.
For poise, walk with the knowledge that you never walk alone.
People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed,
revived, reclaimed, and redeemed; never throw out anyone.
Remember, if you ever need a helping hand,
you will find one at the end of each of your arms.
As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands;
one for helping yourself, and the other for helping others.

These beautiful words come from one whose beauty radiated from the inside out. It just goes to show you that no matter what we look like, we all have the potential to be beautiful b-ings.